A man was cleared on appeal yesterday of murdering the three Quinn brothers, who died in a sectarian petrol bomb attack two years ago.
But Garfield Gilmour (25 was convicted of the manslaughter of the boys in their home at Ballymoney, Co Antrim, on July 12th, 1998.
Richard, aged 11, Mark, aged 10, and Jason, aged 9, were trapped by the flames and died from the effects of carbon-monoxide poisoning. The incident came at the height of violence which swept Northern Ireland following the Orange Order parade standoff at Drumcree.
Gilmour, a salesman from Newhill Park, Ballymoney, had been sentenced to life imprisonment. He can expect a shorter prison term when sentenced.
After the verdict in the Court of Appeal in Belfast, Gilmour was taken back to prison.
The three appeal judges, Lord Chief Justice Sir Robert Carswell, Lord Justice Nicholson and Mr Justice Coghlin, also quashed Gilmour's convictions and concurrent sentences of 12 years on charges of causing grievous bodily harm to the boys' mother, Christine Quinn, her then boyfriend, Mr Raymond Craig, and Ms Christina Archibald, a family friend.
Gilmour was convicted last October by Lord Justice McCollum, who found that when he drove other men to the Quinn home at Carnany Park he was aware they intended to carry out a petrol-bomb attack and that their intention was to cause grievous bodily harm to the occupants.
The judge said it was "a UVF attack with a clear inference that its motive was sectarian".
Gilmour's appeal was heard last April when his lawyer, Mr Arthur Harvey QC, argued that the evidence at his trial did not prove he knew the men in his car had any murderous intent until the last minute, when he saw a glistening 1.75-litre whiskey bottle.
In yesterday's reserved judgment Sir Robert Carswell said the issue on which the appeal turned was the intention to be attributed to Gilmour, and whether the trial judge's conclusion that he realised the petrol bomb was to be used to cause serious injury could be sustained.
Sir Robert said petrol-bombing of houses was regrettably common, but it was only rarely that people were injured, and the majority caused only minor fires.