Two men jailed for the dissident republican #murder of a policeman in Northern #Ireland have lost an appeal against their convictions.
Constable Stephen Carroll was shot dead as he responded to a 999 call in Craigavon, County Armagh, in 2009.
He was the first police officer to be killed since the formation of the PSNI.
Brendan McConville, 42, of Glenholme Avenue in Craigavon, and 22-year-old John Paul Wootton, from Colindale in Lurgan, are serving life sentences.
The pair had attempted to overturn their convictions but their appeal was dismissed at the High Court in Belfast on Thursday.
After reviewing all the witness and forensic evidence, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan said he and his fellow appeal judges were satisfied that the original verdict had been correct.
"The surrounding circumstances in our view formed a compelling case that each of these appellants was guilty of the offences with which they were charged," he said.
Wootton and McConville showed no emotion as the ruling was delivered, but their relatives and supporters wept outside the court amid a heavy security presence.
Mr Carroll's widow Kate and her son Shane were in court to hear the outcome of the appeal.
McConville is serving at least a 25-year-sentence for the murder.
Wootton, who was a teenager at the time of the attack, received a minimum 14-year term. --BBC
Constable Stephen Carroll was shot dead as he responded to a 999 call in Craigavon, County Armagh, in 2009.
He was the first police officer to be killed since the formation of the PSNI.
Brendan McConville, 42, of Glenholme Avenue in Craigavon, and 22-year-old John Paul Wootton, from Colindale in Lurgan, are serving life sentences.
The pair had attempted to overturn their convictions but their appeal was dismissed at the High Court in Belfast on Thursday.
After reviewing all the witness and forensic evidence, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan said he and his fellow appeal judges were satisfied that the original verdict had been correct.
"The surrounding circumstances in our view formed a compelling case that each of these appellants was guilty of the offences with which they were charged," he said.
Wootton and McConville showed no emotion as the ruling was delivered, but their relatives and supporters wept outside the court amid a heavy security presence.
Mr Carroll's widow Kate and her son Shane were in court to hear the outcome of the appeal.
McConville is serving at least a 25-year-sentence for the murder.
Wootton, who was a teenager at the time of the attack, received a minimum 14-year term. --BBC
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