TWO men who pleaded guilty to the murder of a Catholic schoolboy have launched a bid to have their convictions quashed for a second time.
Aaron Cavana Wallace (28) and Christopher Francis Kerr (30) are serving life sentences for their roles in the sectarian killing of 15-year-old Michael McIlveen in Ballymena nearly 11 years ago.
However, defence lawyers have argued that a revised law on 'joint enterprise' cases has now rendered their convictions unsafe.
Judgment was reserved today following submissions at the Court of Appeal in Belfast.
Michael McIlveen was attacked with a baseball bat in an alleyway after being chased by a gang in the Co Antrim town in May 2006.
The teenager, known as 'Micky Bo', died from brain injuries.
The man who used the bat, Mervyn Wilson Moon (29) from Douglas Terrace in the town, was jailed for a minimum 10 years.
In 2009 Kerr, of Carnduff Drive, and Wallace, from Moat Road, both in Ballymena, were also found guilty of the schoolboy's murder.
Although those convictions were later quashed, the pair entered guilty pleas as their retrial was due to get underway four years ago.
Admissions were made on the basis of a statement of facts agreed by prosecution and defence lawyers in relation to the roles they played in events surrounding Michael's death.
Wallace was ordered to serve at least eight years behind bars, while Kerr's tariff was set at a year higher because he had obtained the baseball bat.
But both men's legal teams now contend that a Supreme Court ruling on the interpretation of joint enterprise casts doubt on the safety of their convictions.
The new law includes a requirement that a secondary party must share an intention to inflict serious harm on the victim - foresight alone is not enough.
