THE brutal murder of a 10-year-old boy is to be re-examined by police in Northern Ireland, following an exclusive Worcester News report.

Last Friday, we revealed how a solicitor in Worcester Magistrates Court had claimed William McDermott had confessed to the murder of his brother Brian.

During the hearing on Thursday, Lesley Ashton, prosecuting, said McDermott had confided in his former wife Sarah MacLeod that he murdered the 10-year-old in 1973.

McDermott was sentenced to four months in prison after confessing to the harassment of Miss MacLeod, of Worcester, by sending her sickening texts and emails'. The court heard the 50-year-old, who now lives in Liverpool, had 17 previous convictions for violent offences. Brian's mutilated body was found in the River Lagan in east Belfast days after the youngster disappeared from home in 1973.

Following our report of the alleged confession, a spokes-man for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: "This is one of the cases which will be re-examined by the PSNI's Retrospective Murder Review Unit. The unit was set up to re-examine undetected murders which took place between 1969 and the Belfast Agreement in 1998 which were not Troubles' related and all murders between 1998 and the establishment of Crime Operations Department in 2004. All new information will be considered by this unit.

"Where possible, further investigations will be carried out."

Meanwhile, Brian's other brother Eddie has spoken to your Worcester News of his family's agonising 34-year ordeal.

Eddie was 19 when Brian failed to return home for Sunday lunch.

An afternoon's frantic search turned into days, until the grim discovery of his brother's body was made almost a week later.

"I had a friend staying and we both went out to look for him," said the 53-year-old bus driver, of Leicester.

"It was awful. Desperation was setting in. This was unheard of and we were just desperate to find him.

"The police had been out searching and had reports of something in the river. There is a weir and they actually lowered the river.

"The army found the sack with what was the rest of his body in it.

"Both his legs and one arm were missing and he was burnt beyond recognition, apart from one of his fingers which they got the fingerprint from (to identify him)." Eddie said the rest of his brother's remains have never been found.

He said the ordeal split his family apart and drove his late parents, June and Edward to drink.

Eddie said although there were rumours about how who was responsible for the murder, he has never known what really happened to his "happy-go-lucky" little brother.

Eddie said he is desperate for answers so the case can finally be concluded.

Anyone with information about the murder can call police on 0845 6008000.