Man loses appeal challenging his imprisonment for murder of teenager during the Troubles

A Belfast loyalist jailed for murdering a Catholic teenager failed yesterday in a High Court bid to be freed under the royal prerogative of mercy.

Lawyers for Robert Rodgers claimed he should have been granted the pardon because he has already served nearly 17 years in prison for another sectarian killing in the 1970s.

But a judge rejected his challenge after pointing out that it could lead to a form of amnesty for anybody who killed more than once during the Troubles.

Rodgers (59), was found guilty earlier this year of murdering Eileen Doherty nearly 40 years ago. The 19-year-old was shot three times after her taxi was hijacked by gunmen in south Belfast. She was returning home to the west of the city from a visit to her fiancé when the killing was carried out in September 1973.

Denied the killing
Rodgers, of Tierney Gardens, Belfast, was charged following a review of available evidence by the Historical Enquiries Team . He denied the killing but was convicted on the basis of his palm prints being uncovered inside the taxi.

Although not suspected of firing the fatal shots, he was found guilty of a joint enterprise to murder. Despite being jailed for life, he could be free after two years under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

Rogers, however, sought to judicially review Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers over being turned down his request for a royal prerogative of mercy request.

He has already served another prison sentence for the killing of a Catholic man a year later. Ciaran McElroy (18), was shot a number of times in September 1974 on Park End Street, Belfast. His legal team argued that he has already served a life sentence for a Troubles-related killing.