Craigavon 2 appeal – Day 1
The first day of Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton’s appeal against their life sentence convictions for the killing of PSNI Constable Stephen Carroll got underway at the Appeal Court in Belfast today.
Barry McDonald QC for Brendan McConville spoke at length for most of the day. Mr McDonald decimated the perceptions built at the original trial as he completely destroyed any credibility Witness M may have possessed, showing the many contradictions in M’s testimony and how he was susceptible to being lead during his initial interviews with the PSNI, constantly changing his story to suit the PSNI narrative of events and how M was found to be continuously lying under oath.
Barry McDonald described how Justice Girvan the trial judge had wrongly directed himself when he drew negative inference regarding Brendan McConville not taking the stand.
McDonald went on to show that a coat used to link Brendan McConville to the killing was not the coat ‘eyewitness’ M had described and forensic residue found on the jacket actually refuted the possibility that it was wore by the person who fired the fatal shots, The residue was 400 plus particles far in excess of the amount two shots would secrete, it was pointed out the particles were not necessarily from the firing of a weapon but placed in some other fashion, it was also pointed out the particles lacked mercury a component in all AK47 ammunition.
Todays appeal was attended by a large number of family, friends and supporters of both men who packed into the appeal court. A number of human rights organisations were in attendance as was Eamon O’Cuiv, Clare Daly, Maureen O’Sullivan and Mick Wallace four TDs from the Irish Dail (Parliament). Also in attendance was Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four who has campaigned for the Craigavon Two and human rights priest Monsignor Raymond Murray.
Gaelforce Art set the backdrop for today’s event with a fantastic JFTC2 logo on Belfast’s black mountain which could be seen for miles. We the Justice for the Craigavon Two group thank them and everyone who continue to campaign against this miscarriage of Justice.
The appeal is scheduled to continue into next week.
