A man was cleared yesterday of the murder of Margaret Wright in a loyalist band hall in Belfast in 1994. But Christopher Sheals's appeal against conviction for causing her grievous bodily harm was dismissed, although his sentence for this was reduced from 20 years to 15 years.
A second man, Stephen Rules (32), from Donegall Avenue, Belfast, lost his murder appeal.
Ms Wright was beaten, stripped and shot four times in the head before her body was taken away in a wheelie bin and dumped. Outside the court yesterday, the victim's mother, Ms Evelyn Wright, said: "I am happy they did not walk. I had every confidence the court would not let them."
Ms Wright (31), a Protestant, was killed in the Bad Bet band hall in the loyalist Village area of Belfast in April, 1994. However, the realisation that she had been shot in mistake for a Catholic brought revenge and within a week Ian Hamilton was shot dead by the UVF, who claimed he was the killer. Six months later, Billy Elliott was also murdered.
The appeals by Sheals and Rules were heard last April by the Lord Chief Justice, Sir Robert Carswell, and Lord Justices MacDermott and McCollum. A summary of yesterday's reserved judgement was read by the Lord Chief Justice, who said the murder conviction of Sheals, from Dorchester Crescent, Glengormley, outside Belfast, was unsafe as the facts left open the possibility that the men who carried out the murder went beyond what he had tacitly agreed as part of the common enterprise.
"We are satisfied, however, that the trial judge (Lord Justice Nicholson) was entitled to hold that Sheals foresaw the possibility of the infliction of grievous bodily harm and false imprisonment."
The Lord Chief Justice said it had been proved beyond reasonable doubt that Rules foresaw that Ms Wright might be killed and with that foresight gave active assistance to the men holding and attacking her. He said Rules had been sentenced to 15 years for causing grievous bodily harm and, as the court could find no distinction, they had reduced Sheals's 20-year sentence to 15 years.