Jury urged to 'be the lamp that shows freedom lives' in trial of anti-war protesters

Both defendants acknowledged cutting a hole in the fence and walking onto Shannon Airport to protest against the US military's use of Shannon as a stop-over

Ken Mayers (left) and Tarak Kauff (right) both served in the United States military before becoming anti-war activists in the 1960s. Photo: Collins Courts

A jury in the trial of two US army veterans accused of trespass and criminal damage at Shannon Airport has been urged to “be the lamp that shows freedom lives” and acquit them both.

The jury in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court trial of octogenarians Ken Mayers (85) and Tarak Kauff (80) started its deliberations shortly after midday on Friday.