Further convictions of a man jailed for life for the murder of a British soldier have been referred to the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland.
John McDevitt was convicted at Belfast Crown Court in 1986 of the murder of Private Neil Clark, and the conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal in 1987.
Private Clark was killed on Easter Monday 1984 by a gunshot wound to the head after getting out of a Land Rover which had been set on fire with a petrol bomb at Bishop Street in Londonderry.
Last October McDevitt’s murder conviction was referred by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to the Court of Appeal, after concerns about the credibility of police witnesses.
His lawyers have said the CCRC has now referred four further convictions to the Court of Appeal.
These include two counts of wounding with intent, attempting to cause GBH with intent and possession of firearms with intent relating to the same incident and the wounding of two other soldiers.
The convictions were based on statements he had signed while in Castlereagh Police Station, and he contends that the statements were coerced as a result of oppressive interview techniques.
Lawyers for McDevitt say they have been told this month that none of the original police interview notes from his time in Castlereagh can be located, or the custody record.
Solicitor Patricia Coyle said her client and his family “very much welcome the CCRC’s decision to refer four further convictions back to the Court of Appeal”.
“These four convictions emanate from the same contested statement of admission which grounds the murder conviction,” she said.
“My client looks forward to the opportunity to present his case to the Court of Appeal after maintaining his innocence for almost 40 years.”
