Edward Meenan murder accused changes plea to guilty - BBC News
The trial of two other men will continue after Derek Creswell, 29, admits the 2018 murder.
One of three men on trial for murdering a Londonderry man has changed his plea to guilty.

Derek Creswell, 29, of Kings Lane in Ballykelly, had denied the murder of Edward Meenan.

The 52-year-old's body was found in Creggan Street on 25 November 2018.

At Londonderry Crown Court, sitting in Belfast on Thursday, his lawyer told the judge that he had an application for Creswell to be re-arraigned on the three charges he faced.

When the clerk of the court put the charge of murdering Mr Meenan to Creswell, he replied: "Guilty.''

He further pleaded guilty to two other charges of perverting the course justice and assaulting Mr Meenan's friend William McConnell on the same date.

The other two accused - Sean Rodgers, 34, of no fixed abode, and Ryan Walters, 22, of Station Park, Crossgar - deny murder.

Following his guilty pleas the judge told Creswell: "The only sentence that this court can pass in respect of a guilty plea or guilty finding in respect of murder is life imprisonment."

Addressing the jury, the judge said: "What that means is that you no longer have to consider the evidence against Derek Creswell because he has now pleaded guilty to each of the three counts.

"The case will continue against the remaining two defendants, Mr Rodgers and Mr Walters."

She said the guilty plea was a "significant turn of events" and that lawyers will now "need a little bit of time to consider what evidence now needs to be presented and what does not need to be presented".