Policeman Killer's 14-Year Sentence Will Be Reviewed

The 14-year sentence given to a man who murdered a PSNI officer will be reviewed by the Court of Appeal.

The move came after the chairman of the justice committee, Paul Givan, argued that the sentence given to John Paul Wootton did not reflect the gravity of the crime and would not deter others.

Points he made echoed words by the murdered policeman’s widow Kate after Monday's sentencing.

She said: "I think he would have needed a stiffer sentence to deter young people. It is the younger people who are now coming up the ranks and it needs to be stamped out."

Constable Stephen Carroll was killed in a Continuity IRA gun attack in March 2009.

Wootton was 17 at the time of the attack and fellow murderer Brendan McConville (now 41) was told he will serve 25 years before being considered for parole.

Lord Justice St Paul Girvan explained he had to act within sentencing guidelines, but would support any move to reconsider them.

A motion has been tabled in the Assembly asking Justice Minister David Ford to bring the law in line with England, where the penalty for murdering a police officer is a minimum 30-year sentence.

Mr Givan said: "Given that police officers here are much more actively targeted, there should be a greater deterrent in Northern Ireland than in England. I see no reason why there should be any difference between a 17-year-old killer and a 27-year-old or a 47-year-old."

(NE)