Funeral of murder victim

Police believe the body was left to lie overnight after the shooting

The funeral has taken place of a man who is believed to have been shot dead by the outlawed Ulster Defence Association on Sunday night.

James William Rockett, 29, was found with a bullet wound to the back of his head on Monday morning.

The body was discovered on waste ground at the back of houses in Tyndale Gardens in the loyalist Ballysillan housing estate in Belfast.

He is believed to have been living recently in the Whitehead area of County Antrim.

The police have not yet established a motive for the killing.

Murder

It is understood Mr Rockett had loyalist paramilitary links but had recently been living under threat from them.

It is also understood there was £2,000 in cash in his pockets.

The murder is not linked to a recent feud with the rival Ulster Volunteer Force but is thought to be connected to a dispute within the Ulster Defence Association.

Mr Rockett had several tattoos on his body depicting loyalist paramilitary insignia.

The find was made by a local woman about 0930 GMT on Monday, but police believe the body had been left there overnight, as it was covered in frost.

The feud between the UDA and the UVF was brought to a formal end last week after the groupings involved came to an agreement.

The dispute involved elements of the two paramilitary groups in west and north Belfast.