A former UDR soldier convicted over the 1983 murder of an Armagh man is set to stage a protest in Belfast in a continued pursuit to clear his name.
Neil Latimer was one of four UDR members convicted in 1986 over the murder of 24-year-old Adrian Carroll, who was shot dead in an alleyway in Armagh’s Abbey Street area as he returned home from work in November 1983.
Mr Latimer, who was serving in Armagh, was convicted of committing the sectarian murder and jailed for life along with three fellow soldiers. They were known as the UDR Four.
However, the other three soldiers were cleared on appeal in 1992 after police falsification of interview notes was uncovered. Nonetheless, Latimer’s conviction was upheld and he remained in prison until 1999.
He continues to contest his innocence and says that efforts to clear his name are ongoing.
Mr Latimer will stage his protest, aimed at highlighting “forty year miscarriage of justice”, outside the PSNI HQ in Belfast at noon on Saturday, April 22.
The Armagh man has previously launched numerous unsuccessful appeals against the conviction, but says that he will “never give up on my fight for justice”.
He commented: “I was a serving soldier in Armagh in 1983. I had nothing to do with this disgraceful murder. For the British government, the RUC, the justice system and the political landscape of the time, I was a convenient scapegoat.
“My conviction was based on lies, I spent 14 years in prison and my entire life has been destroyed. I have no choice but to continue to highlight this issue.
“I challenge anyone from any walk of life to look at the facts and conclude I was convicted ‘beyond reasonable doubt.’ There is nothing but doubt over every part of the case against me.”
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