'Significant' lead into pensioner murder

Published Monday, 22 October 2012
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Police investigating the murder of pensioner Bertie Acheson in his Coleraine home earlier this year say they believe his killer may live in the Antrim area after receiving new information.

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On Monday police set up checkpoints in the town, asking motorists if they had any information about the pensioner's death.

The officer leading the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Ian Harrison, said he could not disclose the exact details but confirmed the new information was "significant".

"It has created an extra focus which has brought us to this area," he explained. "The key to this investigation now is, I believe, in the Antrim area."

"It's a complex investigation but it's solvable and I believe with the assistance of the public we can find out the answers that the Acheson family deserve - who killed their father for the sake of just a few hundred pounds."

DCI Harrison confirmed that forensic investigations are continuing and police are trawling through more than 80 CCTV systems in the hope that some clue to who killed Mr Acheson will be uncovered.

The 72-year-old had a heart attack after he confronted an intruder at his Glenmore Gardens home in the early hours of Monday 30 April.

The robber stole a purse from Mr Acheson's 70-year-old disabled wife, before making off with £375.

I would like people to think about an elderly couple who should have been safe in their home, who had the rest of their lives to lead.

DCI Harrison

Mrs Acheson raised the alarm but by the time ambulance personnel and police arrived, her husband was dead.

Mr Acheson was the primary carer for his wife, who DCI Harrison described as now "a shell of herself".

"She's lost her partner. The family are devastated; they still have some fear as well. Will this person come back?" he said.

He added that the murder has "caused significant fear in the Coleraine area"

"We need to find out who this person was and we need to get them off the street and before a court."

Crimestoppers is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the man responsible for Bertie's murder.

"We are asking people to think back to Monday 30 April and the days immediately after that. Do you know anyone who travelled from their home in the Antrim area to Coleraine in the early hours of 30 April?" asked DCI Harrison.

"Was there a man you know who was acting in an unusual manner or whose behaviour seemed suspicious?

Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives in Coleraine or the Crimestoppers charity.

© UTV News
Comments Comments
3 Comments
N antrim in N Antrim wrote (212 days ago):
You may well be right "G", But its a pity they will not be able to take the murder charge against the scum that broke into the poor mans house.
sebastian in belfast wrote (213 days ago):
@G in here see whatever word you want...this man was in his own house with his wife when a thief broke in.would ur response be the same if it was your parents????
G in here wrote (213 days ago):
I keep seeing the word murder,but the man had a heart attack ,it's manslaughter.
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