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Three men found not guilty of Lyra McKee murder

Sara GirvinIreland correspondent
News imageJess Lowe via EPA Lyra McKee stands with her arms folded in front of a brightly painted wall. She is a young woman with short black hair, with a fringe over her forehead coming to rest on her glasses. She is smiling She is wearing a brown tweed jacket over a white a navy striped top.Jess Lowe via EPA

Three men accused of murdering journalist Lyra McKee in Northern Ireland more than seven years ago have been found not guilty.

The 29-year-old author died after being shot as she stood close to police vehicles, watching disturbances in the Creggan area of Londonderry in April 2019.

The New IRA – a dissident republican paramilitary group - claimed responsibility for her death.

Peter Cavanagh, 38, of Mary Street in Derry, Jordan Gareth Devine, 25, of Bishop Street and Paul McIntyre, 58, of Kells Walk faced a joint enterprise murder charge.

News imagePA Media This is a composite image of three men. Peter Cavanagh - a middle aged man with grey hair and a grey beard. He is wearing a grey quarter zip jumper over a blue and white checked shirt. Jordan Devine has short black hair with some grey in it and a black moustache and goatee type beard. He is wearing a black zip up jacket with a red zip. Paul McIntyre is a man with grey, thinning hair. He is clean shaven and wears glasses.PA Media
(L-R) Peter Cavanagh, Jordan Devine and Paul McIntyre

The prosecution's case was that they accompanied a lone gunman to a firing point on the night Lyra was killed, and encouraged or assisted him.

But the defence said much of the prosecution case was based on "pure speculation".

The non-jury trial lasted for two years and ended in April.

The judge, Mrs Justice Smyth, reserved her judgement to give "proper consideration" to all the points that had been made in the case.