Justice seen possible in Glengormley

Two men have been convicted for the brutal sectarian murder in 2001 of Glengormley man Trevor Lowry, who was killed because he was mistaken for a Catholic.

The area suffered a series of sectarian murders at the hands of the unionist paramilitary UDA and others.

As Harry Speers and Ron Craig were led away to begin their life sentences, there was hope that those days will not return.

Speers once stood as an election candidate for the UDA-linked Ulster Democratic Party and was a former sen-ior member of the Orange Order. Craig was only 16 at the time of the killing.

They had always denied kicking and stamping Mr Lowry to death after leaving a bar together on the Antrim Road, but Mr Justice Girvan said they ``hid behind a welter of lies, half truths, evasions and silence''.

Convicting the pair, Mr Justice Girvan called on responsible members of society to help prevent such a tragedy ever occurring again.

He said that the tragedy of the case was heightened by the fact that, unknown to Craig, the man he helped kick to death was the son of a lady whom he admitted had treated him like a grandson.

The conviction was described as a ``heartening development'' by a Catholic priest in the area.

Fr Dan Whyte, from St Mary's on the Hill Church in Glengormley, said he now hoped there would be similar successful convictions of those responsible for the murders of Protestant 18-year-old Gavin Brett in July 2001, Catholic postman Daniel McColgan (20) in January 2002 and Catholic 19-year-old Gerard Lawlor in July 2002.

Sinn Féin's Briege Meehan said she was ``absolutely delighted that at last someone has been brought to book for the murder.''

``I am sure the family are relieved to come to closure and hopefully the sentence will reflect the crime,'' she said. ``Hopefully, with other murders which have taken place in Glengormley, justice will prevail and those who perpetrated the murders will be brought to justice like these two and their families allowed closure.''

Urgent Appeal