Three men not guilty of murder of Lyra McKee

Judge Mrs Justice Smyth has delivered her judgment in the long-running non-jury trial at Belfast Crown Court

Lyra McKee was shot dead in Derry in 2019. File picture: PA

Three men have been found not guilty of the murder of journalist Lyra McKee in Londonderry in 2019.

Judge Mrs Justice Smyth is continuing to deliver her judgment in other charges in the long-running non-jury trial at Belfast Crown Court.

Paul McIntyre, 58, of Kells Walk in Derry, Peter Cavanagh, 38, of Mary Street, and Jordan Gareth Devine, 25, of Bishop Street, faced a joint enterprise murder charge.

Ms McKee, 29, died after being hit by a bullet as she stood close to police vehicles while observing disturbances in the Creggan area of Derry on April 18 2019.

Several petrol bombs had been directed at police and a car was set on fire during chaotic scenes which culminated in four shots being fired towards officers.

The New IRA claimed responsibility for the death of Ms McKee.

The prosecution’s case was that the three men had accompanied a lone gunman on the night Ms McKee was killed and encouraged or assisted him.

But defence barristers have criticised the standard of the evidence in the case, which was almost entirely circumstantial.