A terminally-ill man must serve a minimum of 25 years in jail for the murders of two soldiers shot dead by dissident republicans in Northern Ireland, a judge has ruled. Brian Shivers, 46, from Magherafelt, Co Londonderry, who was part of the Real IRA gang that murdered Sappers Patrick Azimkar, 21 and Mark Quinsey, 23, outside Massereene military barracks, is suffering from cystic fibrosis and has an estimated four to five years to live. He was sentenced to life imprisonment last month and at Belfast Crown Court Mr Justice Anthony Hart told him he would have to spend at least 25 years in prison before he could be considered for release. Sapper Quinsey, from Birmingham, and Sapper Azimkar, from London, both serving with 38 Engineer Regiment, were about to leave for a tour in Afghanistan in March 2009 when they were gunned down by republican assassins opposed to the Good Friday peace deal. |
