Derry man John McDevitt's case against five convictions dating from December 1986 to be heard in Court of Criminal Appeal

The Northern Ireland Court of Criminal Appeal has fixed June 2026 dates to hear the appeal by Derry man John McDevitt against five convictions dating from December 1986.

The dates for the appeal were fixed on Tuesday (April 14, 2026).

Mr McDevitt (61) was convicted on December 12, 1986, 12th December 1986 by Mr Justice MacDermott sitting without a jury on one count of murder, two counts of wounding with intent, one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of possession of firearms with intent. 

He challenged the prosecution evidence at trial giving evidence in his own defence during a voir dire on the admissibility of a statement of admission. 

He asserted in his trial evidence that this statement had been obtained by police using coercive and oppressive interview techniques. 

Mr McDevitt was convicted by the Diplock Court and received a sentence of life imprisonment.  He served in excess of 11 years in jail and was released subject to life licence.

Harte Coyle Collins solicitors acting for Mr McDevitt applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) on behalf of its client in 2002. 

That application was refused in 2006 despite the finding of some significant new evidence.

Our client continued his campaign to clear his name.

Mr McDevitt's legal team made a second application to the CCRC on Mr McDevitt's behalf in 2019 on the basis of further new evidence obtained from public domain sources. 

That second application to the CCRC resulted in the referral of the murder conviction back to the NI Court of Appeal on October 30, 2024 on the basis that the conviction was potentially unsafe. 

In making the referral the CCRC relied on the discrediting of some of the interviewing police officers arising from the successful appeals of some of the UDR4 in 1992.

Further submissions by our Harte Coyle Collins to the CCRC in 2025 resulted in the referral of another four convictions back to the Court of Appeal in April 2025. The evidence underpinning the further four convictions emanated from the same statement of admission.

The safety of the five convictions will now be reviewed by the Court of Appeal on June 17 and 18, 2026.

Patricia Coyle Solicitor representing Mr McDevitt said today: "Our client welcomes the opportunity to have the evidence underpinning these five convictions scrutinised and examined by the NI Court of Appeal in June 2026.   

"The focus in the appeal will be on the reliability of one statement of admission which our client continues to assert was obtained using oppressive and coercive police interview techniques.  In addition to the reasons for the referral of the convictions identified by the CCRC, we have also lodged several applications to admit new evidence to the court in support of the appeal.

"This evidence was not available at the time of his trial in 1986 nor for his appeal against conviction in 1987.  Our client continues his campaign to clear his name in respect of these convictions using all legal avenues available to him and looks forward to the appeal hearing."  

John McDevitt is represented by Patricia Coyle, solicitor and Meadbh O Dowd, solicitor of Harte Coyle Collins, Solicitors & Advocates with barristers Dessie Hutton K.C. (senior counsel) and Gerard McGettigan BL (junior counsel).