He read from a prepared statement: ‘My sister, Clare, was a bubbly, generous and loving person. She was a devoted daughter to my parents, a devoted sister to me, and a much-loved aunt to her niece and nephew. She was loved by both her friends and her work colleagues. She’d never have willingly hurt anyone in her life. As her family, we’re at a loss to try to understand why anyone would have done this to her. My parents will never get over what’s happened,’ he said, his voice breaking. ‘We ask anyone, anyone at all, who has any information about whoever did this to come forward as soon as they can and to allow our family some sense of justice.’

The policeman spoke again.

‘The person who did this would have sustained some injuries during the attack. There’s evidence that Ms Taylor tried to defend herself. It’s probable that the person responsible would have had Ms Taylor’s blood both on his or her clothes and on their person following the killing. Police believe that Ms Taylor was brought to Coney Road by car and she sustained her fatal injuries at the roadside. The car this person was driving would also likely be spattered with Ms Taylor’s blood and would require a significant deep clean.

‘If you’re protecting someone, the time to come forward is now. Police can be contacted by calling 101 and asking to speak to the inquiry team at Strand Road. Alternatively, members of the public can call the Crimestoppers anonymous line on 0800 555 111. Given the nature of this murder, we believe the person responsible to be a highly dangerous individual. The sooner we can have this person in police custody, the better.’

CCTV images of Clare were flashed on the screen. She was standing at a checkout, a bottle of wine in one hand. She was seen pushing a strand of hair behind her ear and smiling at the cashier.

‘The footage we’ve shown you was taken on the evening before Ms Taylor’s death at around 7 p.m. These images are from Chill Off Licence at the DaVinci’s Complex on the lower Culmore Road. We know that Ms Taylor didn’t return to her apartment that evening. We believe that her killer may have been known to her and that on the evening preceding her death, she may have willingly gone to meet with this person.

‘Police are examining a number of lines of inquiry at this stage, but we’re extremely keen to speak to a man Ms Taylor was believed to be in a romantic relationship with. We’d ask that man to make himself known to police to help with our ongoing investigation.’

‘So you believe the perpetrator to be a man, then?’ a reporter asked from the scrum.