Northern Ireland

Case of three men convicted of teenager's murder referred to Court of Appeal

Frances Rice was murdered in May 1975
Frances Rice was murdered in May 1975 Frances Rice was murdered in May 1975

THE case of three men convicted of the murder of a teenager almost 50 years ago has been referred to the Court of Appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

Francis Rice (17), who was from Castlewellan, in Co Down, was abducted and stabbed to death in May 1975.

His remains were found at Convent Road, Rathfriland, and the murder was initially claimed by the Loyalist Young Militants, which was linked to the UDA.

However, the Protestant Action Force, a cover name for the UVF, later claimed responsibility.

In1981 three men, Eric Cullen, Cyril Cullen and George Kirkpatrick, were sentenced to life for the murder.

Cyril Cullen and Mr Kirkpatrick have since died and their taken case is being taken forward posthumously.

Lawyers for the Eric Cullen say the original prosecution was based on “confessions” made at interviews carried out at Gough Barracks, Armagh, five years after the murder.

All three men declared their innocence at trial.

In 2018 a BBC Spotlight programme said the only real evidence against the three men was their confessions, which they claimed were pressured out of them by RUC detectives.

Conor Moylan of Madden and Finucane Solicitors, who acts for Eric Cullen, said: “We welcome the decision by the CCRC to re-open the case and look forward to presenting the evidence before the Court of Appeal."