Rising Sun killer appeals against sentence

A killer has today appealed against a four year jail term which would mean that he would not have to serve eight life sentences for the 1993 massacre at the Rising Sun bar.

Stephen Irwin, 32, originally from Londonderry, was convicted of slashing a Glentoran fan with a Stanley knife at the 2004 Irish Cup final at Windsor Park. The victim required almost 200 hundred stitches.

Irwin was first convicted in 1993, along with fellow UFF members, for his part in the murder of eight innocent people in the Rising Sun bar in Greysteele, on Halloween weekend 12 years ago.

He is believed to have shouted 'Trick or Treat' before the killers opened fire.

Irwin was given eight life sentences for his role in the slaughter and showed no remorse, laughing as he was led from the court.

He was released on licence in 2000 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement but following last year's stabbing incident, Secretary of State at the time, Paul Murphy, had his licence revoked.

Court of Appeal Judge, Lord Chief Justice Sir Brian Kerr ordered that transcripts of a number of trial witnesses, including Irwin, should be provided and said when they became available the case would be listed.

However, the appeal is unlikely to be heard before the court's summer recess.

(EF/SP)