Sign in Support the Canary
Independent Media | Campaigning Journalism
Support the Canary
Get our Daily News Email
The Canary Code of Practice
Despite unreliable evidence, The Craigavon Two have spent the last 10 years in prison
Peadar O'Cearnaigh
On 10 March 2009, police arrested Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton for the murder of constable Stephen Carroll in Co. Armagh in the north of Ireland. They were found guilty and jailed in May 2012.
Their supporters call them the Craigavon Two. And they want the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to re-examine this case and send it to the court of appeal.
Background to killing
Carroll was the first Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer killed since the Good Friday Agreement. This agreement brought peace to the north of Ireland after a 30-year conflict. A group called the Continuity IRA (CIRA) claimed responsibility for Carroll's killing.
The CIRA killed Carroll two days after the Real IRA (RIRA) shot dead two British soldiers at Massereene barracks in County Antrim. So the political atmosphere was tense. And there was a fear that the north could return to armed conflict. Fortunately, that wasn't to be.
Sign up to our FREE Daily News Digest
We will not share your information with third parties. Please see our Privacy Policy for information.
Prison sentences
McConville and Wootton spent almost three years in prison before their case went to trial. They are now 10 years into serving their 25 and 18-year sentences respectively. Wootton originally received a 14-year sentence but the court of appeal increased it in 2014.
As reported by The Canary, the Craigavon Two supporters believe it's a miscarriage of justice because:
Witness M – a key witness in this case – testified to seeing McConville on the night of the shooting despite having eyesight problems. Another witness made a sworn affidavit describing witness M as "a compulsive liar".
A tracking device on Wootton's car shows it was 240 metres away from the shooting. The device also went missing, allegedly when in the hands of the British security services and then returned with vital data missing.
A brown coat found in Wootton's car was supposed to belong to McConville. This coat apparently connects McConville to the crime. But it didn't match Witness M's description. Furthermore, there was DNA of up to possibly eight other people on the jacket, in addition to McConville's.
Campaign for the Craigavon Two
The Canary also reported that the two men have received support from different sources. And the late Gerry Conlon of the Guilford Four chaired their campaign group before his death.
Gove lets slip the truth about Brexit. The timing couldn't be more embarrassing.
The will of the people is clear: the Irish border must remain fully open and Westminster can get stuffed
Since their appeals failed in 2014 and 2015, campaigners have called upon the CCRC to reinvestigate. They've also started an online petition to generate support. At the time of publication, the petition has just over 10,000 signatures.
The CCRC
Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton's legal teams submitted their clients' case to the CCRC in late 2016. While the CCRC hasn't yet referred the case to an appeal court, it told The Canary "the case remains under review". And McConville's legal team said, "we are awaiting word". A member of the Craigavon Two campaign team said there could be an update in the coming days. The campaign continues.
Featured image William Murphy/Flickr
Find out more about this case and their petition to have it reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).
We need your help ...
The coronavirus pandemic is changing our world, fast. And we will do all we can to keep bringing you news and analysis throughout. But we are worried about maintaining enough income to pay our staff and minimal overheads.
Now, more than ever, we need a vibrant, independent media that holds the government to account and calls it out when it puts vested economic interests above human lives. We need a media that shows solidarity with the people most affected by the crisis – and one that can help to build a world based on collaboration and compassion.
We have been fighting against an establishment that is trying to shut us down. And like most independent media, we don't have the deep pockets of investors to call on to bail us out.
Can you help by chipping in a few pounds each month?
JimmySands says:
You people do love your terrorists don't you?
Log in to Reply Report comment
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversation
Please read our comment moderation policy here.
Tom Coburg , 11th December 2020
Tom Coburg , 29th November 2020
Demand for food parcels from cancer patients spikes since onset of pandemic
The Canary , 16th November 2020
The US government has jailed Chelsea Manning in its attempt to get at WikiLeaks
Police shoot rubber bullets and tear gas into a peaceful march on International Women's Day
Continuity IRA
Craigavon Two
Real IRA
Help us survive and thrive
and go ad-free
Just when things couldn't get any worse – enter clusterf*cking Grant Shapps
One of scientists' worst nightmares about coronavirus contagion just came true
Labour purge
A left-wing Jewish group is taking legal action against the Labour Party
A sociologist just slammed Starmer's new paywalled Telegraph article
A trade union is considering disaffiliating from Keir Starmer's Labour
Families receiving 'degrading' food parcels treated 'like dirt', says mother
The Canary Media Ltd, PO Box 3301, Bristol, BS5 5GD. Registered in England. Company registration number 09788095. Contact: [email protected].
© Canary Media Limited 2015-19. All rights reserved.
© The Canary 2021 | Website by Doc&Tee | Hosted by Krystal
We, and our partners, set cookies and collect information from your browser to provide you with website content, deliver relevant advertising and understand web audiences. See our privacy policy to learn more about how we manage your data and your rights. See our cookie consent policy to understand how we use cookies and tracking technology. To agree to our use of cookies, click "Accept".
Accept Settings Reject
Review our cookie policy