Man Cleared Of ‘Troubles’ Soldier Murder
A man has been cleared of the murder of undercover soldier Captain Robert Nairac 33 years ago.
Kevin Crilly, 60, from South Armagh, Northern Ireland, had denied murdering the Grenadier Guardsman in May 1977.
He was cleared at Belfast Crown Court on all five charges he faced, including kidnapping and false imprisonment as well as murder, after he was accused of dropping off the killer.
Captain Nairac was abducted from the Three Steps Inn in Drumintee, near the border with the Irish Republic, before being shot dead. The killing is one of the most infamous of the Troubles.
A fan of spy novels as a child, Capt Nairac told republicans in the inn he was Danny, a comrade from Belfast.
The Oxford graduate – who concealed his clipped English tones with a Belfast accent – had been trying to establish his republican credentials and win the confidence of the local IRA unit.
But he was assaulted as he tried to leave the bar, driven over the Irish border and punched, kicked and pistol-whipped to make him come clean.
He still refused to talk, however, and his captors shot him in the head. His body has never been found – but rumours suggest it was minced at a meat processing plant.
The prosecution had claimed that following the kidnapping of Capt Nairac, Mr Crilly picked up the gunman Liam Townson, who was later convicted by the Special Criminal Court in Dublin.
Referring to comments made by Mr Crilly about the killing to BBC Spotlight journalists, judge Mr Justice Richard McLaughlin said: “The admissions by Crilly to the journalists…prove he was involved to some degree in the events surrounding the death of Captain Nairac.
“He was present at the Three Steps Inn where what he described as a “battle” took place. This can only mean what he witnessed was the abduction of Captain Nairac, but it does not prove his active participation in it.”
He added: “I have concluded that the prosecution has not proved Crilly was a participant in the abduction.”
