From BBC News 2 December 2008:

A lawyer defending a man accused of killing two teenagers has claimed the chief prosecution witness is attempting to frame his client.

In November 2005 Mark Burcombe admitted to involvement in the murders of Andrew Robb and David McIlwaine and agreed to act as a crown witness.

The Portadown teenagers were stabbed to death in February 2000.

Steven Leslie Brown, also known as Stephen Revels, of Castle Place in Castlecaulfield, denies the murders.

The lawyer went on to claim that it was Burcombe that had carried out the murders, and that he had been instructed by the UVF to frame his client.

Earlier this year Burcombe pleaded guilty to conspiring to cause grievous bodily harm.

Evidence

On Tuesday he admitted that he had lied to the police during his 2005 interview, but insisted that the version of events he is now giving is “100 per cent true”.

Burcombe’s first meeting with the police took place at the gates of Hillsborough Castle in November 2005, six days after a BBC Crimewatch programme transmitted a reconstruction of the killings.

He said he had contacted them after speaking to his father and a clergyman.

The defending lawyer said Burcombe went to the police with two objectives: “To put the blame where the UVF wanted it, on to Mr Brown and the deceased Mr Dillon, and to exculpate yourself and deny your involvement in the killing of these young men.”

“Both untrue,” Burcombe replied.

He said it had been his intention to tell the police the whole truth but accepted he had not done that.

When the lawyer asked why he hadn’t told the truth the witness said he could not give a reason.

The lawyer went on to claim it had actually been Burcombe and others who had killed the two teenagers because of an insult against an alleged UVF leader delivered by Andrew Robb.

Burcombe denied the accusation and rejected the lawyer’s assertion that he had been a member of the UVF, but agreed he had been a supporter of the organisation and had attended functions organised by it.

The trial continues.