Two men have pleaded not guilty at the Special Criminal Court to membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, in connection with the March 2013 killing of dissident republican Peter Butterly in Gormanston, County Meath. Ray Kennedy, aged 36, faces an additional charge of perverting the course of justice. The prosecution opened its case, describing the shooting as a "meticulously planned killing" occurring outside The Huntsman Inn shortly after 2pm on 6 March 2013. The court heard that Kennedy arrived at the scene shortly after the incident, as an arrangement had been made for the two men to meet. Evidence will indicate contact between Kennedy's phone and a device belonging to the deceased's wife, used to coordinate the meeting. Four men have already received life sentences for Butterly's murder, with two others convicted of roles in the killing. The trial continues at the non-jury court before Justice Tara Burns and two other judges.
Meeting arranged between IRA accused and murder victim, trial hears
local summary
Source: Courts News Ireland
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