Irishmen get 17 years for training Colombia rebels

[bin.dare]

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2004/1216/breaking56.htm

Three Irishmen have been given sentences of up to 17 ½ years in Colombia after they were convicted on appeal of training Marxist rebels.

James Monaghan (58), Niall Connolly (38) and Martin McCauley (41) were found guilty in a Bogota court on April 26th of travelling on false passports but acquitted of the more serious charge of training members of the FARC group.
After the April verdict, Colombian prosecutors immediately appealed the decision and today learned they were successful. Both Monaghan and Connolly were jailed for 17 1/2 years, while McCauley was given a 17-year term.

...

Mr Gerry Kelly of Sinn Féin said the verdict was a " breath-taking denial of justice".
"It was obvious to anyone who followed the trial that the men had no case to answer on the major charge," he said.
"There was no forensic evidence against the men and key prosecution witnesses were discredited when all three Irishmen were able to prove to the court that they were not in Colombia on the dates the witnesses claimed to have seen them."