TWO Belfast men were jailed for life yesterday for the murder of a security guard in the city centre in May two years ago.
Nigel Smyth (19), a former soldier with the Royal Artillery from Fifth Street in the Shankill area of Belfast, was gunned down on May 23rd, 1994, while on duty at the rear of the Anderson & McAuley building.
Thomas John Fox (29) from Doon Road, and Damien Sullivan (27) of Rinnalea Grove, were also convicted of having illegal possession of the murder weapon, and given concurrent 25 year jail terms.
During the trial at the Crown Court earlier this year the Lord Chief Justice, Sir Brian Hutton, heard the killers had made their escape through a Castle Street bar.
Exiting by a side door, they had discarded their outer clothing, each collected a small child and escaped through the adjacent Castle Court complex.
Evidence included a series of compilations of film clips from security cameras in the area of Castle Street and inside Castle Court.
These clips showed the gunmen approaching, and then running from Anderson & McAuley's. Later Fox and Sullivan could be seen entering, walking through and leaving Castle Court with the children.
In his reserved judgment Sir Brian said he was satisfied Fox and Sullivan murdered Nigel Smyth. Passing sentence, he said the two had committed a vicious and evil terrorist murder."
They had devised a cunning scheme to escape fortunately that scheme did not succeed and they had been convicted. The judge also commended the public spirit of the witnesses, who were a vital link in the case. He also praised the meticulous investigation of the detectives involved.