Wife's grief over 'evil' murder

30 December 2012 Last updated at 17:55 GMT Mr Greaves was on his way to church to play the organ when he was attacked The wife of an organist who died after being attacked on Christmas Eve said she had "not stopped crying" over the "evil" that had been done.

Alan Greaves, 68, of High Green, Sheffield, died on Thursday after sustaining severe head injuries while walking to church for Midnight Mass.

Maureen Greaves spoke of her grief at a service at St Saviour's Mortomley and High Green Church.

Two men arrested on suspicion of murder have been released on bail.

They were bailed on Sunday afternoon, pending further enquiries. South Yorkshire Police said one was in his 20s and the other in his 40s.

'Longs for justice'

Mr Greaves' family were joined at the service by the Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Steven Croft.

During it, Mrs Greaves told the congregation: "I won't be able to contact you over the next few days, but I want to thank you for the support you have given me.

Maureen Greaves spoke of her grief at the service

"I have prayed constantly for Alan and I know you have too. I have not stopped crying for him and I know you have not stopped either.

"I have wept over the evil that has been done. I have prayed for you and I know you have prayed for me. You were Alan's Christian family and he loved belonging to this church. I have felt your love towards me."

Dr Croft spoke of Mr Greaves' deep Christian faith and the sense of shock at his death.

"There will be immense grief for those who knew Alan well, which includes many in this church and community. There will be fear that such a thing could happen, apparently to anyone.

"There will be anger and all kinds of questions and real pain in our hearts today," he said.

'Gentle giant'

He also paid tribute to Mrs Greaves: "Maureen has said very clearly and powerfully that she longs for justice not for vengeance, again bearing witness to her own deep faith in the midst of the sharpest agony of her life."

Dr Steven Croft spoke of the "immense sadness" felt

The vicar at St Saviour's, the Reverend Canon Simon Bessant, had worked closely with Mr and Mrs Greaves.

He described the killing as a "random" act of "senseless violence".

He said Mr Greaves was well-respected within the community, a comment reflected in the bishop's sermon.

Dr Croft said: "Simon has referred to Alan this week quite simply as a good man, a gentle giant. Goodness is not as common as it should be and this community and this city have lost a shining light."

Mr Greaves, a father-of-four, was found on a pavement near his home on Greengate Lane with a head injury at about 23:15 GMT on Monday.

He had been making his way to St Saviour's Church to play the organ at the Midnight Mass service.

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Schoolboy murder verdicts quashed

19 December 2012 Last updated at 13:14 GMT Michael McIlveen was attacked by a number of people in Ballymena in May 2006 Three men jailed for the sectarian killing of a Catholic schoolboy have had their murder convictions quashed.

The Court of Appeal ruled that guilty verdicts against Aaron Wallace, Christopher Kerr and Jeff Lewis for killing Michael McIlveen were unsafe.

It said this was due to flaws in how the jury was directed.

The Public Prosecution Service must now decide by Friday whether it is to seek a retrial. Mr McIlveen was chased and beaten in Ballymena in May 2006.

He was beaten with a baseball bat and kicked as he lay defenceless in an alleyway.

In May 2009, Mr Wallace, 23, formerly of Moat Road, Mr Kerr, 25, from Carnduff Drive, and Mr Lewis, 22, of Rossdale - all in Ballymena - were all convicted of his murder and given minimum jail terms ranging from 10 to 13 years.

A fourth man, Mervyn Wilson Moon, 23, of Douglas Terrace in the town, had admitted the killing at the start of the trial.

Lawyers for Mr Wallace, Mr Kerr and Mr Lewis based their challenges on the guidance and directions the jury received during the trial judge's summing up.

They claimed there was a failure to expose the possibility that an eye-witness may have been lying about the three men's alleged roles at the scene of the attack.

Mr Kerr, who was the only defendant to give evidence at trial, accepted retrieving the murder weapon - a baseball bat - but denied using it.

He claimed he did not take part in the assault or encourage anyone else.

Supportive evidence

His barristers, Frank O'Donoghue QC and Sean Devine, argued that the trial judge failed to put a succinct, structured and impartial summary of his case to the jury.

They claimed the panel was wrongly invited not to rely on his evidence in any circumstances in the absence of supportive evidence.

Counsel for Mr Lewis also contested the finding that he was guilty of murder as part of a joint enterprise.

Richard Weir QC argued that his client arrived at the scene separate from the others and knew nothing in advance about a baseball bat being acquired.

'Single-minded unit'

According to him the fatal attack was mistakenly portrayed to the jury as having been planned and carried out by a cohesive, single-minded unit.

Mr Wallace's legal team took issue with how bad character evidence against him was handled.

Delivering judgment on the appeals, Lord Justice Higgins set out how the prosecution accepted inappropriate directions were given on some of the points.

He said: "It was submitted that there were failings in the construction and sequence of the judge's summing up and in the choice of language used to express the opposing arguments raised in the trial.

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Police will study the appeal decision and consult with the Public Prosecution Service and the McIlveen family about options for a way forward”

End Quote Police statement "Specifically it was submitted that the evidence of the principal witness was not analysed in depth, in particular with reference to the contrary evidence of the expert pathologist in relation to his findings about the nature and number of injuries sustained by the deceased and found during the post-mortem examination."

Lord Justice Higgins, sitting with Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan and Lord Justice Coghlin, held that the cumulative effect of the points raised rendered all three men's convictions unsafe.

"Accordingly we grant the applications for leave to appeal and allow the appeals against conviction."

The three men were returned to custody to await a decision on a possible retrial.

Sir Declan confirmed that an eight-week slot beginning at the end of January was available if there is to be a fresh trial.

He added: "We would need to know by Friday what the Crown's position is."

A PSNI spokesman said: "Police will study the appeal decision and consult with the Public Prosecution Service and the McIlveen family about options for a way forward."

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Fire deaths murder charge dropped

17 December 2012 Last updated at 18:25 GMT Mick and Mairead Philpott, along with Paul Mosley, will face trial in February The parents of six children who died as a result of a house fire in Derby will now face manslaughter charges.

Mick and Mairead Philpott had been accused of murder, but were told at Birmingham Crown Court that the charge had been downgraded.

Jade Philpott, 10, and her brothers John, nine, Jack, eight; Jessie, six, and Jayden, five, died on 11 May at their house in Victory Road, Allenton.

Their brother Duwayne, 13, died three days later in hospital.

Mr and Mrs Philpott both denied the six manslaughter charges when they appeared in court via videolink.

Third defendant Paul Mosley appeared in the dock at the same hearing and also denied six charges of manslaughter.

The 45-year-old, of Cecil Street, Derby, had been originally charged with murder along with the Philpotts.

All three are expected to face trial in February.

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