Francis Lanigan goes on trial for 1998 murder

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Francis Lanigan went on trial for murder at Belfast Crown Court, reported on 12 December 2019.

He denies murdering 22-year-old John Stephen Knocker outside a hotel near Dungannon on 31 May 1998.

Lanigan also denies possessing the 9mm Browning pistol allegedly used in the shooting.

The prosecution said eyewitness accounts and DNA profiles could allegedly connect him to the killing.

The trial, held without a jury, was continuing when the report was published.