TL;DR: Police in Downpatrick are appealing for information after a priest was attacked in his church and a man was found murdered. A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of both offences.
Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) are appealing for witnesses after two shocking incidents in Downpatrick on Sunday, 10 August 2025.
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Robinson from the PSNI’s Major Investigation Team said the first call came in at 10.10am, reporting that a priest had been brutally assaulted inside a church on St Patrick’s Avenue.
“A man entered the church and attacked the priest with a bottle,” DCI Robinson confirmed.
“The victim sustained a serious head injury and remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.”
Just under two hours later, at around midday, police were called to a home in Marian Park, where a man in his 50s was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initial enquiries led police to launch a murder investigation, arresting a 30-year-old man on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. He remains in custody.
DCI Robinson stated that police are exploring the possibility that the two incidents are connected but stressed that investigations are still at an early stage.
“We are appealing to anyone who was in the St Patrick’s Avenue area between 9am and 11am, or Marian Park between midnight and midday on Sunday, to contact police.
Any piece of information, no matter how small, could be crucial.”
Superintendent Norman Haslett, District Commander for Newry, Mourne and Down, expressed his condolences to the victim’s family, friends, and the wider Downpatrick community.
“For a man to be murdered and a priest attacked in the sanctity of his own church – these are appalling acts. I understand many will be struggling to come to terms with the grief and shock.”
He assured residents there is no ongoing risk to the public and said there will be an increased police presence in the coming days.
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