Devine, Michael

Michael Devine was convicted in February 1981 at Belfast Crown Court of ten offences including attempted murder, firearms offences, conspiracy to pervert the course of public justice, and membership of a proscribed organisation.

He pleaded not guilty at trial but was convicted and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment.

Later that year Mr Devine began appeal proceedings but abandoned the appeal before the case was heard. He applied to the CCRC in 2014.

Having reviewed the case in detail, the CCRC decided to refer Mr Devine’s case for appeal because it considered that there was a real possibility the Court would quash the conviction.

The referral was based on the cumulative weight of a number of new factors including:

• The absence of modern standards of fairness within the police interview process.
• The Northern Ireland Court of Appeal’s decision in R v Paul Kelly: in which the Court quashed the conviction of Mr Devine’s co-defendant.
• The Northern Ireland Court of Appeal’s decision in the CCRC referral case of R v Patrick Livingstone which cast doubt on the credibility of at least two officers connected with Mr Devine’s case.
• New expert evidence from a forensic linguist expressing some concerns about disputed statements.
• Evidence potentially undermining the credibility of the senior interviewing officer (who also recorded the disputed statements).
• Other new confidential evidence.

The CCRC referred the conviction in April 2019.

The Northern Ireland Court of Appeal quashed the conviction in December 2020.