Sniffer dog aids in murder hunt

Thomas Devlin was stabbed to death

The hunt for the killers of north Belfast schoolboy Thomas Devlin has been stepped up with the introduction of a specially trained dog.

Thomas, who was 15, was stabbed to death close to his home in August 2005. Police believe his killers come from the Mount Vernon area.

On Thursday, detectives and a forensic team searched a flat at Ross House on the estate.

Last week a knife was discovered behind a church mission hall on the estate.

That knife has undergone forensic tests.

Scully, a four-year-old spaniel, who is helping in the inquiry

The introduction of blood dogs marks another step in the investigation.

The dog is trained to detect minute traces of blood and bodily fluids and is of a similar type that was used in Portugal in the search for missing four-year-old Madeline McCann.

Meanwhile, the police have also renewed their appeal for people with information about the Belfast teenager's murder to come forward.