THE TRIAL OF two men charged with the murder of a policeman in Northern Ireland is due to begin in Belfast this morning.
The two men – Brendan McConville, 39, a former Sinn Féin member of Craigavon borough council, and 19-year-old John Paul Wootton – are accused of killing PSNI constable Stephen Carroll in March 2009.
They are also charged with the unlawful possession of an AKM assault rifle and of 26 rounds of ammunition.
Wootton’s mother Sharon, 39, is also charged with perverting the cause of justice between March and October 2009, with RTÉ News reporting that she is accused of supply false information to police.
Constable Carroll was killed as he sat in the front seat of his patrol car, nearing the end of a 12-hour shift at work.
His death came two days after the murder of two off-duty soldiers from the 38 Engineer Regiment at the Massereene Barracks in Antrim town.
Carroll was the first member of the PSNI to be killed since it replaced the RUC in 2001.
The Continuity IRA claimed responsibility for constable Carroll’s death.
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