Strabane man guilty of the Donnyloop murder of Andrew Burns

A Strabane bus driver has been found guilty at the Special Criminal Court of the murder of fellow Strabane man Andrew Burns
He was shot dead in a church car park in Donegal almost four years ago.
36 year-old Martin Kelly from Barrack Street had pleaded not guilty but the three judges said he was guilty on the basis that he was part of a joint enterprise.
Andrew Burns was shot twice in the back at Donnyloop in Castlefin by a gunman linked to the dissident republican group calling itself Óglaigh na hÉireann on 12 February 2008.
Kelly admitted to gardaí that he brought  Mr Burns to the car park for “a punishment beating or shooting”. He said he knew it was “an IRA operation” but had never been sworn into the organisation.
He also witnessed the shooting, brought others away and helped dispose of the murder weapon – a revolver.
The court found today that Kelly’s confessions are strongly supported by other evidence, in particular the evidence of the pathologist and ballistic evidence.
The court remanded him for sentencing pending a victim impact statement which will be heard on 24 January next year.