Video of Lyra McKee shooting shown in murder trial

Video of the moment journalist Lyra McKee was shot dead by dissident republicans in Derry was played at a murder trial.

It shows the New IRA gunman arriving at the scene in Creggan and immediately opening fire on police land rovers in attendance at a riot.

Ms McKee, 29, died after being shot as she stood close to police vehicles while observing rioting in the Creggan area of Derry on the night of 18 April 2019.

She was hit in the head by the last of four rounds fired by the gunman.

Ms McKee had been watching the disorder with friends close to the police vehicles.

Those charged with her murder are 35-year-old Peter Cavanagh of Mary Street, Jordan Devine, 23, of Bishop Street and 56-year-old Paul McIntyre of Kells Walk, all in Derry.

They are all also charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The prosecution does not contend that any of the three were the gunmen, rather that they were part of a wider group who brought him to the firing point, assisted him after he opened fire and brought him away from the scene.

The seven other defendants face a range of lesser charges including riot and throwing petrol bombs.

They are Joseph Patrick Barr, 36, of Sandringham Drive, Prehen Park, Derry; Jude McCrory 23, of Gartan Square, Derry; William Elliott, 57, of Ballymagowan Gardens, Derry; Joseph Anthony Campbell, 23, of Gosheden Cottages, Derry; 32-year-old Patrick Gallagher of John Field Place, Derry; Christopher Gillen, 43, of Balbane Pass, Derry; and 55-year-old Kieran McCool of Ballymagowan Gardens, Derry.

In one section of the video, a woman can be heard screaming as it becomes evident that Ms McKee has been hit.

Images were then shown of Ms McKee being placed in the back of a police land rover and rushed to hospital.

The prosecution claims the three men accompanied the gunman to the firing point and led him away afterwards.

Two of them, Mr Devine and Mr McIntyre are alleged to have lifted live rounds that were ejected by the gunman after his handgun jammed.

The third, Mr Cavanagh, is also said to have engaged in a joint enterprise to carry out the attack.

“It is submitted that the activities of McIntyre, Devine and Cavanagh are demonstrative of their involvement in the joint enterprise to possess and fire the weapon with the requisite intent for murder.

“That is that they offer intentional encouragement or assistance to the possession and use of the weapon with that intent,” a crown prosecutor said.

Several of Lyra McKee’s sisters remained in court as the video was played.

Her former partner Sara Canning, who was with her that night, was also in the courtroom.

The trial also heard that people living close to where she was murdered claimed rioting that accompanied the gun attack had been organised for a documentary crew.

The allegation was aired on day two of the trial.

The court heard that in a three-minute period around 25 petrol bombs were thrown at police lines.

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A van was also hijacked and set alight in the same area as a large crowd of children looked on.

The prosecution claims a number of the defendants were involved in both incidents.

Prosecuting barrister David McDowell KC showed the no-jury trial at Belfast Crown Court unedited MTV clips of PSNI land rovers being attacked by masked men throwing petrol bombs.

The court heard that as trouble escalated in the hour before the shooting, a woman remonstrated with the rioters and the MTV documentary makers who were filming them.

“The people of Creggan are suffering because of you. It’s all set up for you,” the unidentified woman said.

Members of Saoradh – a political organisation linked to dissident republicans who were escorting the filmmakers – dismissed those complaining as “Sinn Féiners” and said the journalists should tell them to “f**k off”.

But MTV presenter Reggie Yates seemed unsettled by the intervention and the escalating violence.

“This feels like it could go in so many different directions,” he said making a decision to leave.

“The most important thing for us is not to cause anything, it’s to document it,” he told the Saoradh members accompanying him.

The court was shown footage of large crowds of young people in the area with Mr Yates commenting in the clip: “I think the only reason there aren’t more petrol bombs coming is because the boys have run out.”

He added: “There are literally kids out here watching it, getting off on it, excited by it and, you could argue, inspired by it.

“This is so normal to these kids here that you have got parents bringing their children out to watch, teenage girls eating their dinner while they watch this.”

Mr Yates then decided to withdraw his camera crew from the area.

He is heard in the footage saying: “We have seen a lot and you could argue that we’ve seen enough.

“If people are saying we are inciting it maybe we should pull it down….I think it is time to call it a night.”

The prosecution is drawing heavily on the unedited and unbroadcast footage provided by MTV in an attempt to prove their case against the ten defendants.

The court heard that as MTV was escorted out of the area about ten minutes before the gun attack, the crew was told several times not to film.

The prosecution said this was the first time this had happened all day.

MTV were told it appeared that things were going to escalate.

When asked where the violence was heading, Mr McCrory said: “I’ve a feeling there’s going to be more attacks, there could be more sophisticated attacks…I’m only assuming, I don’t know.”

The prosecution claims this suggests knowledge on his part about what was about to occur.

Additional reporting PA