Three men acquitted of 2019 murder of Irish journalist Lyra McKee; family vows to continue fight for justice
Three men accused of murdering Irish journalist Leila McKee during the 2019 Londonderry riots were acquitted on Friday after one of the longest non-jury trials in recent Northern Ireland history, leaving her family devastated.According to the BBC, prosecutors have accused 38-year-old Peter Kavanagh, 25-year-old Jordan Gareth Devine and 58-year-old Paul McIntyre of acting with the gunman who shot McGee, encouraging or assisting him, although none of them was accused of firing the fatal shot.The defense argued that the prosecution’s case relied heavily on speculation.McKee, 29, was shot and killed on April 18, 2019, as he stood near a police car observing clashes in the Derek Legan area of London.The dissident republican group the New IRA later admitted responsibility for the killing, but the gunman was never identified or brought to trial.The prosecution’s case drew on a trove of video, cellphone and forensic evidence, including footage from an MTV documentary crew recorded in the area earlier that night.Prosecutors argued that the riot was deliberately staged by dissident Republicans to coincide with the crew’s presence, even though filming ended before filming began.Passing sentence at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Smith acknowledged the outcome would not bring “even a modicum of comfort” to McKee’s family and described her killing as “a senseless act of violence”. She also noted that the person who fired the fatal shot never faced justice.Outside court, McKee’s sister Nicola Corner said the sentence was “completely shocking” and accused the justice system of failing her family and Northern Ireland.“The system has failed Leila, our family and Northern Ireland completely,” she said, adding that the family’s fight for justice was far from over. “We’re going to leave no stone unturned. This isn’t over yet. Leila said if you’re going to go down, keep fighting, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”Corner also criticized what she called a “culture of silence”, saying that although more than 150 people witnessed the night’s events, no one came forward with important information.The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) defended its decision to prosecute, saying the legal threshold for prosecution had been met and the trial had successfully overcome a number of legal challenges. However, it acknowledged that an acquittal would be deeply disappointing for McKee’s loved ones.The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it would consider the impact of the sentence before deciding on next steps, while reiterating that their thoughts remained with McGee’s family and friends.The National Union of Journalists also expressed concern that no one has been held accountable for McKee’s killing. NUJ officer Séamus Dooley said the “impunity” of the man who pulled the trigger remained “a matter of serious concern” and compared the case to the unsolved murder of journalist Martin O’Hagan.The trial also involves six other defendants who face a total of 52 charges related to the disease. Kieran George McCool was found guilty of common assault and Christopher Joseph Gillen was found guilty of rioting, possessing and throwing petrol bombs.Another defendant, William Patrick Elliott, died before the trial concluded.
