Image caption Kevin Conway's body being removed from farm buildings in Aghalee by undertakers

A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a man 15 years ago.

Kevin Conway, 30, was found with gunshot wounds at Soldierstown Road, Aghalee, County Antrim, in 1998. The killing was widely blamed on the IRA.

Gary Marshall, 45, of Ennis Green, Lurgan, appeared at Craigavon court on Wednesday.

He had been arrested in a hotel in Birmingham on Monday after detectives carried out a review of the original RUC murder investigation.

He was then flown back to Northern Ireland and questioned by the PSNI.

The defendant had been questioned at the time of the killing, but released without charge.

Mr Marshall waved at a large group of supporters at the court. They included prominent republican campaigner Breandán Mac Cionnaith.

A detective sergeant told the court that a review of the case had uncovered "new forensic evidence" and it was on foot of this that Mr Marshall was arrested.

Absconding

Gary Marshall is a brother of Sam Marshall, an IRA member who was shot dead by the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force in Lurgan town centre in 1992.

Prominent republican Colin Duffy was injured in the same attack, which was also investigated by the PSNI's Historical Enquiries Team amid claims that teams of undercover soldiers had been in the area at the time.

Mr Marshall's solicitor pointed out that the risk of his client absconding was reduced by the fact that the offence qualified under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and that the maximum sentence his client could face would be two years.

He said Mr Marshall's sister was willing to provide a surety of £20,000. He was freed on bail.