County Derry Post

Police have recovered a jacket from the banks of the River Moyola as part of a probe into the discovery of a body on the shores of Lough Neagh, the County Derry Post can reveal.

Mystery continues to surround the death of Gerard Hampson, whose body was washed up on a lonely stretch of the Lough Neagh shoreline, close to Creagh Road, Toomebridge.

The grisly find was made at an isolated area of shoreline by a man out walking his dog last Wednesday.

The 53-year-old, who came from Northland Road, Derry, was wanted for questioning by police when he went missing on November 30.

Sources close to the family have confirmed the dead man was naked when his body was discovered.  It is understood police also told the family they believe Mr Hampson’s body was in the water about a week before being swept ashore.

In a dramatic development police recovered a coat from the banks of River Moyola last Sunday afternoon.

The discovery was made just minutes after the County Derry Post snapped the brown, fleeced lined Petroleum brand jacket as it lay just yards from the river bank near a scenic picnic area.

Detectives also scoured the popular picnic spot at Newbridge in a bid to uncover clues.

Wearing protective forensic gloves, officers also removed an empty beer can from a field adjacent to the car park, near to where the jacket was located.

In an unusual move police say they are treating Mr Hampson’s death as “unexplained”.

A spokesman for the Coroners Service said the “cause of death was undetermined” after a post mortem examination.

It is understood one theory centres on the possibility that Mr Hampson’s body entered the River Moyola before being washed into Lough Neagh by flood waters.

It is believed the dead man’s remains, which were recovered less than a mile from the point where the River Moyola enters Lough Neagh, were then blown ashore during last week’s gale force storms.

Police have confirmed they wanted to question Mr Hampson at the time he went missing.  And although they refused to say why they wanted to speak to the dead man, it is believed to be linked to the abduction of a man and woman in Mullingar, County Westmeath, last April.The couple were taken to Derry City where the man was shot in both ankles.

Mr Hampson’s family appealed for information about his whereabouts.   There were also reported sightings of the dead man in Maghera and Dungiven in the weeks after he disappeared.His son-in-law, Rory Carlin, says the family are devastated by the death.

“We haven’t been told anything new in the last couple of days,” he said.

“At least this means there is some form of closure.”

Mr Hampson will be buried in his home village of Feeny today.

A spokeswoman for the PSNI said there have been no new developments in their investigation.

 She added: “Police had wanted to speak to Mr Hampson about a number of issues shortly before he was reported missing.”