A Belfast man has been cleared of murdering paedophile Mr Desmond Moonan by direction of Lord Justice Campbell after he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of causing grievous bodily harm to the sex offender.
Mr Moonan (54) was found strangled in a Newtownards Road flat in August 1997 which he shared with another man, Mr Darren Stewart (28) who, with Mr Pete Davis (28) of Utility Street Men's Hostel, Belfast, is still on trial accused of the murder.
Lord Justice Campbell ordered the jury to find the coaccused Marty Chappell (38), al so with an address at the hostel, "not guilty of murder by direction and guilty of section 18 by confession". This followed submissions by Mr Kevin Finegan QC, defending, on Friday in the absence of the jury.
Chappell has been remanded in custody to await sentence while final submissions in the trial of Mr Davis and Mr Stewart, who claims Mr Davis was the killer, are made to the jury. Crown lawyer Mr Gary Mc Crudden, in his opening submissions for the prosecution, said Mr Moonan was subjected to a "very bad beating" before being strangled. He had multiple bruising and lacerations.
Mr McCrudden said Mr Stewart claimed Mr Moonan was killed by two masked men in black to cover his tracks and those of Chappell and Mr Davis, and it was Mr Stewart who told the others about Mr Moonan being a sex offender.
Mr Terence McDonald QC, for Mr Stewart, said his client told police that masked men had carried out the killing because the murder had occurred in his flat and he realised that the police would come looking for him. Mr McDonald claimed Mr Stewart was in fear of Mr Davis but he did the one thing which Davis had warned him not to do, he told the police who strangled Mr Moonan.
Mr John McCrudden QC, for Mr Davis, said Mr Stewart's alleged police confession was an attempt to distance himself from his involvement in the killing and to point the finger at his client. He said
Mr Davis had no memory of the night of the killing because of his drug-induced amnaesia. Mr McCrudden is expected to complete his submission this morning after which Lord Justice Campbell will charge the jury before it retires.