Man hated accused 'like poison'

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A witness in the trial of five people charged with the murder of Michael McIlveen has been accused of hating one of the defendants "like poison".

He was also accused of being prepared "to put the boot into him".

Christopher Graham, 19, had given evidence at Antrim Crown Court on Wednesday.

He told the jury that one of the accused, Christopher Francis Kerr, 22, was part of the crowd that allegedly beat and kicked the Catholic schoolboy.

During a cross-examination by Mr Laurence McCrudden, it was put to Mr Graham that there was "bad blood" between the pair, particularly as Mr Kerr "was guilty of treachery for changing his allegiance from Catholic youth at the top of the town and Protestant youth at the bottom of the town".

The witness denied this, but Mr McCrudden then put it to him that he had told police in his statements that Mr Kerr had threatened to damage his property prior to the attack.

Mr McCrudden added: "It's your evidence that Christopher Kerr threatened to come up and wreck your hut.

"That must be something that stuck out in your mind. That would be a reason for you to resent and hate Kerr like poison."

Mr Graham replied that he had been made aware of the threat but that each time he saw the defendant they spoke to each other adding: "I didn't hate him."

The court also heard that there had been pre-arranged fights, organised via the internet and mobile phones, between Protestant and Catholic youths in Ballymena in the months leading up to Michael McIlveen's murder in May 2006.

It is alleged some of them took place in a car park on Springwell Street and in Cameron's car park, close to the alleyway where the attack on the teenager took place.

Mr McCrudden told the jury that a samurai sword had been found by police in a hedge in the alleyway.

The weapon was shown to the witness and he confirmed it belonged to a friend, but maintained under questioning that he had not seen the sword that night.

He also stated he had not run after the crowd with any other weapon after the assault stating: "I didn't go into the back of the alleyway after that, that night."

Mr Graham has also previously told the court that he saw Mervyn Wilson Moon, 20, standing in the alleyway before the assault on Mr McIlveen.

Mr Moon has already pleaded guilty to murder and will be sentenced at the end of the trial.

But during a cross examination by Richard Weir, QC, who is defending 19-year-old Jeff Colin Lewis, the witness confirmed that in two police interviews he had never put Mr Moon there and accepted that he could have been mistaken in this part of his evidence to the court.

Mr Weir put it to him: "You've created an impression that he was definitely there.

"Was that not an attempt to say to the jury, I know he was there and putting him there when you had doubts about it yourself?

"If you had doubts about it why didn't you say. Were you telling a lie about the matter?"

The witness replied: "No."

Along with Mr Kerr and Mr Lewis, three others deny murdering Michael McIlveen.

They are Aaron Cavana Wallace, 20, 18-year-old Christopher Andrew McLeister, and a juvenile who can not be named because of his age.

Another teenager, Paul Edward David Henson, 18, from Condiere Avenue, Connor in Ballymena is charged with criminal damage and affray.

The case continues.