Two men deny Devlin murder
Irish News
03/07/09
TWO men yesterday denied murdering schoolboy Thomas Devlin who was stabbed to death in north Belfast four years ago.
Appearing at Belfast Crown Court, 22-year-old Gary Ryan Taylor and Nigel James Brown (26) both pleaded not guilty to the murder of the 15-year-old, pictured, on August 10 2005.
Mr Taylor, of Mountcollyer Avenue, and Brown, of the Whitewell Road, both in Belfast, also denied charges of attempting to murder Tho-mas’s friend Jonathan McKee and inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr McKee with intent.
Brown has already pleaded guilty to attempting to inflict GBH on Mr McKee with intent but yesterday Mr Taylor pleaded not guilty to the same charge.
All the charges arise after Thomas and two friends were attacked by two men near the Somerton Road.
It is the prosecution case that Brown was armed with a wooden bat and that Mr Taylor had a knife which he used to stab Thomas four times in the chest causing massive bleeding and his death and also that he attacked Mr McKee.
Another friend who was with them managed to clamber over the wall of the nearby St Patrick’s school and escape the attack.
Following the pleas of not guilty, Mr Justice Hart remanded the two accused into custody.
He adjourned the case for further review until the new court term in September.
'So venceremos, beidh bua againn eigin lá eigin. Sealadaigh abú.'
--Bobby Sands