GAA Star's Murder Recalled In Court

There was a court hearing in Co Louth today over the shock weekend murder of a Crossmaglen man.

Shane Rogers, 32, with an address in Co Monaghan, was charged with murder and was remanded in custody following a brief court hearing after he arrived into Dundalk Court House under heavy police escort.

He was in the dock charged with the murder of GAA player James Hughes in Dundalk.

Mr Hughes, 35, who played for the Crossmaglen Rangers senior Gaelic football team, was shot dead in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The police said that shots were fired into a taxi in which the victim was a passenger and later added that a man had presented himself at Carrickmacross Gardaí Station where he was detained.

A man who was driving the car and a young woman were injured in the incident. They were taken to hospital but their injuries were not life threatening.

On Sunday, an Irish police statement said: "Shortly before 4am a taxi pulled up outside a house on Cluain Ard, Lis Na Dara and it was approached by a lone male who fired a number of gunshots into the car.

"A 35-year-old male sitting in the back seat was fatally injured. The other occupants, a male driver (48 years) and female front seat passenger (21 years) received injuries that are not believed to be life threatening.

"They were taken to Our Lady of Lourdes hospital to be treated for their injuries."

The statement concluded: "A short time later a male presented himself at Carrickmacross Garda Station where he was arrested."