UDA murder victim Colin Horner shot dead in Bangor on Sunday as he was getting into his car

A 28-year-old man has faced a court charged with the brutal murder of Colin Horner in the carpark of a supermarket last weekend.

Alan James Wilson, of Ballyrainey Road, Newtownards, is further charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition.

He appeared in the dock of Newtownards Magistrates Court today after being driven from the serious crime custody suite at Musgrave PSNI station in Belfast.

A defence application for bail was refused case following objections from a detective inspector from the PSNI’s Major Investigation Team which is probing the murder.

Wilson denied being involved in the murder of the 35-year-old father of two.

Mr Horner was gunned down in the carpark of Sainsbury’s supermarket in Bangor’s Balloo Link in front of his three-year-old son on Sunday afternoon.

Police described his death as “brutal, senseless and horrendous”.

A 47-year-old man also arrested over the killing has been released unconditionally.

This morning, MIT detectives arrested a 45-year-old man in the Newtownards area in relation to the murder.

He has been taken to the serious crime suite for questioning.

Detective believe Mr Horner was shot dead as part of an ongoing feud within a faction of the South East Antrim (SEA) UDA.

Mr Horner was a friend of Geordie Gilmore who was shot dead in March by the SEA UDA in Carrickfergus.

He carried Gilmore’s coffin at his funeral.