Published Monday, 09 January 2012
John Paul Wootton, 20, and former Sinn Féin councillor Brendan McConville, 40, deny the dissident republican shooting in March 2009.
They face charges of murder and possession of an AK47 assault rifle. Wootton's 39-year-old mother Sharon is also charged with perverting the course of justice.
Constable Carroll died of a single gunshot wound to the head as he sat in a police car responding to a call-out in the Co Armagh town, where a brick had been thrown through the window of a house in Lismore Manor.
The 48-year-old policeman's widow, Kate Carroll, was in attendance at Belfast Crown Court on Monday for the first day of the high-profile trial.
A prosecuting barrister told judge Lord Justice Paul Girvan that the plan was to murder any officer that responded to the brick throwing incident.
He said the attackers opened fire from a grassy bank around 50 metres away from the vehicle Constable Carroll was sitting in.
"The attack was designed to kill any police officer that attended the scene that night," said the barrister.
"Constable Carroll and fellow officers were lured into the area in order that a gun attack could be perpetrated on him and other officers."
The QC described how fellow officers approached Mr Carroll's car moments after two shots rang out and found his colleague in a state of panic.
He told the court: "The passenger appeared delirious and was pointing his weapon in a number of directions. The passenger said 'my driver's dead'."
McConville, from Aldervale, Tullygally, and Wootton and his mother, both from Collingdale, Craigavon, sat impassively in the dock as the trial opened.
It was due to begin last December but was postponed after Ms Wootton applied to change her solicitors.
Constable Carroll, a grandfather who lived in the Co Down town of Banbridge, was close to the end of his 12-hour shift when he was killed.
He had served 24 years in the police and was the first PSNI officer to be murdered, since the force replaced the RUC.
Just two days before the murder, Sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey were shot dead at Massereene Army Barracks in Antrim as they collected a pizza.
