A woman captured on CCTV carrying the body of Odhran Kelly “seems to be wrong place, wrong time, potentially,” a judge has said.
Deputy District Judge Chris Holmes made the comment at Craigavon Magistrates Court while granting bail to 36-year-old Stephanie McClelland.
McClelland, from Shan Slieve in Lurgan, is accused that knowing another person had committed murder, she assisted that offender to impede their apprehension, prosecution or detention on December 3 by “disposing of the body of Odhran Kelly”.
Facing the same charge is 43-year-old Andrea Stevenson, from Edward Street in Lurgan while two men, Shane Harte (31) from Headington House and Gary Damien Scullion (31) from Edward Street, both in Lurgan, are in custody charged with murder.
During a bail application on behalf of McClelland on Friday, police said when they were called to a car on fire on Edward Street just after 4am, officers discovered a “badly burnt body” lying beside the burnt out vehicle.
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Officers called at the last registered address, Stevenson’s flat on Edward Street but on their way, they spotted a “large amount of blood” on the door of Scullion’s flat opposite as well as blood covered beer bottles, “a significant amount of congealed blood, drug paraphernalia, a large amount of cash and gloves with blood on them”.
When officers went into Stevenson’s flat it “smelled strongly of bleach” and there was a male, dressed in just his boxer shorts, sitting in the kitchen where there was “clothing and blood stained washing in the washing machine”.
During initial interviews, McClelland denied involvement but she later admitted it was her captured on CCTV “carrying the body” of Mr Kelly from the flats to the car.
Police agreed that McClelland had denied being involved in the murder or being involved in the burning of Mr Kelly’s body.
“Is it the case that she just happened to be visiting a friend that night,” enquired DJ Holmes and the officer agreed “that’s possible, enquiries are ongoing” but that is what McClelland claimed during interviews.
Granting bail in the sum of £500, the judge ordered McClelland to reside at an undisclosed address, to have “no contact in any way, shape or from” with witnesses or co-accused, to report to police three times per work and to observe a curfew.
Adjourning the case to February 16, DJ Holmes also barred her from social media, advising McClelland that “trust me, it’s for your own good”.