Barracks murders accused is ex-Eirigi
Eirigi last night admitted a second man charged with the murder of two British soldiers had been one of its members.
Brian Shivers (44) appeared before Ballymena Magistrates Court yesterday accused of murdering Mark Quinsey and Cengiz ‘Patrick’ Azimkar outside Massereene army barracks in Antrim in March.
The Co Derry man is the second person to be charged over the Real IRA attack in which three other soldiers and two pizza delivery men were also wounded.
In March prominent former eirigi spokesman Colin Duffy appeared in court charged with the murders.
Eirigi, a republican pressure group which is critical of Sinn Fein, distanced itself from the killings and claimed that Duffy had resigned two weeks earlier.
Another former eirigi spokes-man, Dominic Og McGlinchey, was also questioned about the attack but later released without charge.
Eirigi initially denied Shivers had been one of its activists. A spokes-man later admitted Shivers had been a member but said he had resigned last November after just six months with the organisation.
Security sources last night challenged that claim, saying he had operated as a “recruiting officer” for the group until recent months.
Shivers, of Sperrin Mews in Magherafelt, spoke in court only once, to confirm that he understood the charges of murder, attempted murder and possessing guns and ammunition with intent.
Detective Inspector Justin Galloway said forensic experts had recovered Shivers’s DNA on a mobile phone and two matches found in the getaway vehicle.
Niall Murphy, defending, said the forensic evidence was the same low-copy type discredited during the Omagh bombing trial in 2007.
“This is simply low-copy DNA which has been repackaged for legal and scientific expedience,” he said.
Mr Galloway admitted that initial tests on the matches had failed to provide strong enough evidence to link Shivers to the scene. Scientists only obtained a positive identification after combining the profiles.
He said tests on the matches had identified DNA from a second individual and tests on the phone had identified DNA from three people.
Police opposed bail, saying they feared another suspect had already fled the jurisdiction.
Mr Murphy said his client’s need for hospital treatment for cystic fibrosis meant he was not a flight risk. However, Shivers was remanded in custody to reappear in court via video-link on August 18.
