‘Not guilty’ pleas over Massereene murders
Two men have denied the murders of two soldiers who were gunned down outside Massereene Army Barracks in Antrim.
Judge Mr Justice McLaughlin allowed 43-year-old Colin Duffy and Brian Shivers, aged 45, to remain seated in the dock of Belfast Crown Court as the nine charges were put to them.
Mr Duffy and Mr Shivers both pleaded not guilty to the murders of Sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey on March 7 2009.
Duffy, from Forest Glade in Lurgan and Shivers from Sperrin mews in Magherafelt, also pleaded not guilty to six further charges of attempted murder and to possessing two firearms and a quantity of ammunition used in the attack.
The Sappers were killed and two other soldiers and two civilians were injured in a hail of around 60 shots as they collected a pizza outside their barracks, just days before they were due on a tour of duty to Afghanistan.
The Vauxhall car used by the gunmen to escape the scene was later found burnt out on the Ranaghan Road in Randalstown, around seven miles from the scene of the fatal shooting.
A previous court heard that on the Crown case, both Shivers and Duffy can be connected to the car and items found in it by DNA evidence.
On Friday, prosecuting QC Terence Mooney asked the judge to “review the case on a regular basis” and also for defence statements to be lodged as soon as possible.
Duffy’s defence QC Barry McDonald said that would be done and asked Mr Justice McLaughlin to list a bail application on Duffy’s behalf next week.
The judge said he would hear that application next Wednesday and listed the case for review on September 9.
