Two Belfast brothers-in-law were cleared yesterday of murdering a policeman in the city 25 years ago. Appeal Court judges overturned the convictions of Mr Billy Gorman (40) and Mr Paddy McKinney (42), who were released on licence several years ago.
Mr Gorman was arrested on October 24th, 1979, and Mr McKinney three days later. The court held their convictions were unsafe because scientific evidence at a hearing on October 7th proved police had rewritten interview notes.
The pair were convicted in 1980 of murdering Constable Thomas McClinton in 1974. The shooting in Donegall Street became known as the "schoolboy murder" as witnesses said one of the gunmen was wearing a school uniform.
It was the existence of police interview notes which led to the acquittals. The notes were subjected to Esda tests and an expert found substantial evidence of rewriting. The Criminal Cases Review Commission then referred the case to the Appeal Court.
At the hearing on October 7th, the prosecution said it could not refute the rewriting evidence and could offer no explanation.