Frank Kerr: Man found not guilty of postal worker’s murder

Frank Kerr was shot dead at Newry Postal Sorting Office on Clanrye Avenue on November 10, 1994.

That morning a routine delivery of cash (£232,000) arrived at the office.

Frank Kerr set about counting this money in the registered letter enclosure.

The court heard that at 09:45, a post office van arrived at the gates with a man dressed in post office uniform which said “priority services Belfast”.

The van was allowed through the first gate.

At this point, armed men tied up the security guard and his colleague in the security hut. The gang of at least four men were communicating by walkie talkies and they were all wearing post office-style clothing as well as make up, fake tan and glasses.

Staff were detained at gunpoint.

One of the gang made his way to the room where Mr Kerr was working and the court heard that Mr Kerr tried to force the man out of the room.

At today’s court sitting Mr Justice Fowler said he had shown courage and fortitude in doing so.

A short time later he was shot through the neck. One of his colleagues was knocked unconscious. When that man awoke he called for help.

By this stage the gang had escaped with £131,000.

Mr Kerr was transferred to hospital but was pronounced dead from his injuries.

At 10:40 that morning a red Renault vehicle was seen by police on the Ballintemple Road beside Killeavy Castle in Meigh, seven miles from the Postal Sorting Office.

Police saw a car parked on the wrong side of the road and they blocked the road.

A man got out of the rear of the car and ran towards Killeavy Castle. Two shots were fired by a police officer but the man escaped.

Two remaining males were apprehended from the vehicle. They were Declan McComish and Kevin Donegan (a relative of Mr Fox) who were convicted in 1996 for assisting an offender.

The vehicle was searched and a post office uniform was found in the rear.