Summary of Judgment - R v Christopher Robinson (CA)
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland |
| Neutral Citation | Summary of Judgment - R v Christopher Robinson (CA) |
| Court | Lands Tribunal (Northern Ireland),Court of Judicature (NI) |
| Date | 21 December 2021 |
Judicial Communications Office
1
21 December 2021
COURT DISMISSES APPEAL AGAINST CONVICTION BY
CHRISTOPHER ROBINSON FOR MURDER OF ADRIAN ISMAY
Summary of Judgment
The Court of Appeal today dismissed an appeal by Christopher Robinson against his conviction of
the murder of Adrian Ismay and causing an explosion with intent to endanger lift.
Adrian Ismay died on 15 March 2016, eleven days after an improvised device exploded under his
car. Christopher Robinson (“the appellant”) was convicted on 6 March 2020 and later sentenced to
22 years imprisonment. The prosecution was based on circumstantial evidence which was set out
in the trial judge’s judgment.
The appellant did not dispute many of the essential strands of evidence in the case:
He accepted that the Citroen C3 belonging to his brother was the car used to transport the
improvised explosive device and the individual who planted that device to Mr Ismay’s home;
No issue was taken as to the prosecution description of the journey of the appellant’s car or
the Citroen C3 or the timings laid out in the CCTV and ANPR evidence;
No issue was taken as to the description of the device data records (“DDR”) showing the
appellant’s mobile telephone connecting to transceivers in a way that would coincide with
the journeys of the Skoda;
It was accepted that the Skoda travelled to Dock Street, stopped short of the traffic lights and
at the same time a figure crossed the road and there were visible movements close to the car;
It was accepted that the appellant attended Ardmoulin Hostel at a time which coincided with
his brother disabling the CCTV and that the appellant had therefore lied in his prepared
statement to police when he denied leaving his home on that evening save to visit his mother.
The appellant, however, disputed:
The extent of the evidence relating to the poppy appeal sticker and its importance in the
wider context of the case;
Whether the evidence was sufficient to show that an individual was picked up and dropped
off at Dock Street by the appellant’s Skoda;
The extent of the inferences that should be drawn from: Facebook material, scientific internet
searches; searches relating to Mr Ismay prior to the murder; searches relating to the explosion
after the fact; and the possession of balaclavas and improvised balaclavas found during the
search of the appellant’s home.
The core contention advanced by counsel for the appellant was that the trial judge made
impermissible inferences on the basis of a circumstantial case.
Grounds of Appeal
Ground 1: the poppy appeal sticker
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