Rathcoole: Man jailed for murdering Roy Reynolds and dumping his body in Carrickfergus reservoir abandons bid for early release
A man jailed for murdering a grandfather and dumping his body in a Co Antrim reservoir has abandoned a legal bid to secure an earlier release.
Michael Campbell, 35, was set to challenge the minimum 21-year prison term imposed on him for killing 54-year-old Roy Reynolds in Newtownabbey, in March 2022.
But he has now formally withdrawn his application for leave to appeal against the sentence.
Mr Reynolds was beaten and stabbed repeatedly after being invited into Campbell’s flat in the Rathcoole estate for drinks.
The victim sustained more than 100 injuries, including multiple fractures, in a killing described by the trial judge as savage.
His body was then placed in the boot of a car and taken to North Woodburn Reservoir near Carrickfergus.
Police subsequently recovered Mr Reynolds’ semi-naked remains from shallow water at the dam.
Campbell and Robert Fulton, a 70-year-old pensioner enlisted to help get rid of the body, were stopped in a car returning from the reservoir.
Blood stains were discovered on the door and inside the boot of the vehicle.
In March last year Fulton, of Brickhill Park in Newtownabbey, was sentenced to two years and four months after he admitted a charge of assisting an offender.
Campbell ultimately pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Reynolds and a second offence of attempting to prevent the burial of a body.
Ordering him to serve at least 21 years behind bars, Mr Justice O’Hara declared the killing “brutal in the extreme, relentless and merciless”.
During a brief review at the Court of Appeal, defence lawyers confirmed Campbell’s challenge to the sentence was to be abandoned. Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan agreed to take the case out of future listings.
In a statement made on behalf of Roy Reynolds’ family after the sentencing of Campbell and Fulton, Eric McCully said the victim, affectionately known as Fobby, had been taken from them “far too soon”.
"We, Roy’s family, find ourselves in the midst of an unimaginable tragedy,” he said.
“Fobby was more than a name; he was a cherished brother, father, and grandfather, adding: “May Roy’s memory be a beacon of love and resilience.”