Medical tests presented to a Turkish court suggest that a waiter accused of stabbing to death two Co Down women is not a juvenile as he claimed, but 22 years old.
Recep Cetin, who is accused of killing Kathy Dinsmore and Marion Graham in a wood near Izmir last August, had told police that he was 17.
If convicted of the crime, Mr Cetin would face a much heavier sentence in an adult court.
However, a judge in Izmir ordered that the tests on Mr Cetin's bone marrow be sent to Istanbul for further examination, following a request by defence lawyers.
It is now unclear when a decision will be taken as to whether Mr Cetin will be tried as a juvenile or an adult.
Baris Kaska, the lawyer for the Graham and Dinsmore families, said a determination could take more than six months, although the next scheduled hearing is on 7 June.
Recep Cetin's father Eyup has also been detained in connection with the double murder, but not charged.
At the time of the killing, Recep Cetin was a waiter in the tourist resort of Kusadasi and in a relationship with Shannon Graham, Marion Graham's 15-year-old daughter.
