Hunt goes on for soldiers’ killers
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Brian Shivers: guilty.
Police have vowed that the hunt for those who murdered two young soldiers in Antrim will go on, despite securing a conviction against one of the accused last Friday (January 20).
After a gruelling six-week trial which relied heavily on complex DNA evidence, Brian Shivers (46), from Sperrin Mews in Magherafelt, was found guilty of the murders of Sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey.
However his co-accused, prominent republican Colin Duffy from Lurgan, walked free after being cleared of all charges.
Angry scenes erupted as Duffy (44) left Antrim Courthouse after almost three years in custody.
Members of the public waved a flag bearing the words 'We Support Our Troops' and shouted at Duffy as he was bundled into a Vauxhall Cavalier car.
Duffy, who has since claimed his DNA was planted in the getaway car, has now been cleared of murdering five members of the security forces since the early 1990s.
Sir Anthony Hart will rule on a minimum tariff next month but it is likely Shivers will spend his last days in prison as he suffers from the life-limiting condition cystic fibrosis.
But despite his conviction, police believe up to six people were involved in the cold-blooded murder on March 7, 2009 and have said the case is still very much open.
Last night the soldiers' grieving families have appealed to the public for more information to catch those involved in the killings.
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