TWO Northern Ireland men, Mr Kevin McAlorum (24), whose nine-year-old sister Barbara was murdered during last year's INLA feud, and Mr Patrick McCleery (33), were remanded in custody by Belfast Crown Court to await judgment for allegedly possessing a UDR man's stolen Walther pistol.
The prosecution claims Mr McAlorum and Mr McCleery threw the gun away after being stopped by soldiers near Lurgan on March 28th last year, about a fortnight after the girl's murder.
Both Mr McAlorum, from Ashfield Gardens, Belfast, and Mr McCleery, of Conor Park, Lurgan, deny having the gun.
Before reserving judgment, Lord Justice MacDermott heard the prosecution claim the two men were either guilty or "the unluckiest men in creation", while the men's lawyers claimed the Crown case against them was "hopelessly inaccurate and confused".
The judge said he hoped to give his judgment as soon as possible.
Earlier, giving evidence on his own behalf, Mr McCleery told the court that after the shooting of Mr McAlorum's sister he felt his friend's life might be in danger and had told him he was welcome to come and stay with him. He said he picked up Mr McAlorum at a bar near Lisburn and that he had a couple of drinks before driving to Lurgan.
He claimed that when he came upon the army checkpoint he tried to take a different route, fearing the soldiers would call the police because he had been drinking.
Mr McCleery said that after being taken from his car his hands were bagged" with a plastic bag and he was made to kneel for up to an hour on the ground, which made him stiff and fall over.
He claimed he pulled one of his hands out of the bag to prevent himself falling flat on his face and denied Crown claims he had done so to wipe his hand on the grass verge to remove any forensic evidence which might have linked him to the gun.