Man loses appeal against murder conviction of British soldier

ByMichael Fitzpatrick

BBC News NI

A man who was jailed for the murder of a British soldier in Londonderry more than 40 years ago has had his appeal against his conviction dismissed.

John McDevitt, 61, claimed he was coerced by police officers using oppressive interview techniques into making a false confession to the killing of Private Neil Clarke on Easter Monday in 1984.

Pte Clarke was killed after he exited a military Land Rover that had been attacked with petrol bombs in the Bishop Street area of Derry.

The appeal, which was heard by Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan, Justice Adrian Colton and Justice Stephen Fowler, was rejected after the Court of Appeal in Belfast found that it "must fail on its facts."

McDevitt spent more than 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of Pte Clarke's murder.

In October 2024 the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred McDevitt's murder conviction to Northern Ireland's Court of Appeal following concerns about the credibility of police witnesses.

In April 2024, a further four convictions were then later refereed to the Court of Appeal.

The Lady Chief Justice said it was the prosecution's case that McDevitt was an "aider and abettor" who had driven the gunman to and from the scene of the shooting.

She said that during police interviews McDevitt "had provided repeated and detailed false accounts without any pressure being applied on him of his own accord".

"The reality is that the appellant admitted his role in the petrol bombing, which was serious enough in itself," she said.

"Also, we note that the appellant was not rushed into the fourth statement, as the interviews were paused overnight and he obtained legal advice.

"We find no merit in the argument that the appellant was swayed by inducements, given the seriousness of this offending."

Speaking following the judgement on Friday, McDevitt said: "While I am disappointed with the Court of Appeal judgement today, I am not deterred in my campaign to clear my name."

"I maintain my innocence in relation to this murder conviction and the other four offences, including wounding of other soldiers," he added.

"I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank my family, supporters and legal team who have supported me throughout this appeal and indeed over the past 43 years in my pursuit for justice, and the people of Derry who have always accepted my innocence."

SDLP Foyle MP Colum Eastwood, who attended court on Friday with McDevitt's family, has said that he will continue to support them in his fight to clear his name.

"Today's verdict is extremely disappointing for John McDevitt, who has fought for more than 40 years to clear his name," Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said.

"He spent over a decade of his life in prison and, whatever today's verdict, there remain significant questions about his conviction and the way his case was handled.

"John has already indicated that he will continue the fight to clear his name and he has my full support."