Three men from Derry have been found not guilty of murdering the journalist Lyra McKee in 2019.

McKee, 29, from Belfast, died after being hit by a bullet as she stood close to police vehicles while observing rioting in the Creggan area of Derry on 18 April 2019. The New IRA claimed responsibility for the killing.

On Friday in a long-awaited verdict, Jordan Devine, 25, Paul McIntyre, 58, and Peter Cavanagh, 38, were all cleared of her murder. The trial, which opened in May 2024, was held at Belfast crown court before Mrs Justice Smyth, who sat without a jury.

Prosecutors told the court none of the three men fired the fatal shot, but were engaged in a joint enterprise to encourage and assist the gunman. In February, Smyth rejected a defence application that there was no case to answer due to insufficiency of evidence.

McKee’s friends described the verdict as “heartbreaking”.

More details soon …