THE family of Irish soldier Peter Burke, murdered along with two friends by west Belfast soldier Michael McAleavey, have been told he will serve a minimum of 27 years before being considered for release.
The tariff was set by the North’s Lord Chief Justice, Sir Brian Kerr, in a 10-page ruling given to the the Parole Commissioners. The minimum tariff is three years less than that set at the court martial in 1993 of McAleavey (47).
However, it is three years more than Sir Brian provisionally indicated when McAleavey first sought repatriation to the North to serve the remainder of his life sentence.
McAleavey has already been in jail for 26 years for the murders of Cpl Gregory Morrow, and Ptes Peter Burke and Thomas Murphy in October 1982 at Tibnin in the Lebanon.
However, the tariff will not automatically see him released next year, but while Sir Brian indicated he was not “convinced” of McAleavey’s genuine remorse, he did rule the start date of the tariff should run from that of his arrest.