Stefan Millar (left) and Jonathon Mackinnon are attempting to clear their names.

Murder pair granted appeal hearing against conviction 31/5/14

A second man found guilty of the murdering Liam Aitchison is going back to court to try and quash his conviction, Hebrides News has learnt.

Stefan Millar, of Carloway, Lewis, and Jonathon Mackinnon have always insisted they were innocent of the brutal killing of 16-year-old Liam Aitchison in November 2011.

A jury found them guilty following a trial at Glasgow High Court last June.

Now Stefan Millar has been informed a full appeal hearing will be heard in his bid to clear his name.

Despite a detailed forensics investigation, there was no hard evidence to link Millar’s involvement with the murder - the absence of witnesses, his fingerprints, blood or DNA at the scene was repeatedly highlighted by his defence lawyer.

Earlier this month, Hebrides News revealed Jonathon Mackinnon, formerly of Plasterfield, Stornoway, who did not give evidence in the trial, would be allowed to go back to court to try and overturn his conviction.

Their appeals to challenge the jury’s decision are now “live,” said the Scottish Courts Service (SCS).

No dates for appeal hearings have yet been fixed said the SCS spokesman.

Lawyers for the pair will attend a procedural hearing to determine a timetable for the appeals relatively soon.

A full hearing in front of a panel of three judges in the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh, is expected to take place later this year.

Last June, the pair were given a life sentence and ordered to spend at least 18 years behind bars