Terrorism convicts await court of appeal verdict

Eric Wright, James Henry Brown and Peter Joseph McDonald had expected the quashing of guilty verdicts to be confirmed by the Court of Appeal on Friday.

But judges who previously delayed any decision to obtain more details on the relevant legislation once again adjourned the hearing.

They have requested further legal arguments on the law around confession evidence which operated at the time.

Prosecutors have already confirmed they are no longer seeking to stand over any of the convictions.

Wright, Brown and McDonald all signed confessions while in police custody during 1976-77.

The case of a fourth man, Stephen Paul McCaul from Belfast, was also referred back to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

They were all arrested on suspicion of terrorist-related activity, including at least one case involving membership of the IRA youth wing, Na Fianna.

Because they were aged 16 at the time of their detention, they should have been interviewed in the presence of a solicitor and appropriate adult.

Emphasising that there were difficult issues requiring careful consideration, Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan adjourned the case until March.