DPP – Slugger O'Toole

DPP takes heat over decision to prosecute ex soldiers…

Mick Fealty on January 26, 2017, 8:02 am

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Interesting response from the DPP Barra McGrory, who’s been coming under pressure for his decision to prosecute British soldiers for Troubles era crimes. Vincent Kearney reports: I asked Mr McGrory if he viewed the criticism as an attempt to influence his decision making and to put pressure on him not to prosecute former soldiers. “If they are not trying to influence me then they are certainly being personally insulting, and they are questioning my integrity,” he says. “But what concerns …

What could outsiders do to end the tragic farce over dealing with the past?

Brian Walker on December 15, 2016, 1:12 pm

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“A big push” on legacy issues is being promised by secretary of State James Brokenshire as the Belfast Telegraph reports, following the failure to meet the deadline to implement the legacy part of Fresh Start. Whether it will mean anything more than UN attempts to end the horrors of Syria remains to be seen. Brokenshire presents himself as an honest broker but in truth whether he realises it or not, he is as much a party to deadlock as the …

Pastor McConnell judgement: “It is not the task of the criminal law to censor offensive utterances…”

Mick Fealty on January 5, 2016, 1:47 pm

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SOFT SANDS: The acquittal of Pastor James McConnell is not the first case of alleged offence to hit to soft sands after a long bout of social media outrage and the deliberation of the DDP’s office, which at the very least suggests there is a substantial difference between public understanding and the law itself.

Why suffer allegations of involvement with the nutting squad? Because you’re worth it.

Brian Walker on October 31, 2015, 11:00 am

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EXPENSIVE INJUSTICE: The whole cat’s cradle of allegation and murder is getting more expensive by the day, The DDPs’ decision to reopen the entire Scappaticci file won’t make it any cheaper. See today’s Times (£) for the latest. Stand by for the inevitable public row.

DPP: it could be “many many months” before a decision is made on whether or not Gerry Adams will be prosecuted…

Pete Baker on May 10, 2014, 7:06 pm

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As Newton Emerson notes in today’s Irish News – on some of the coverage of the arrest and questioning of Sinn Féin president, Gerry Adams, in relation to the abduction, murder, and secret burial of Jean McConville in 1972. Mystery surrounds BBC claims that the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) would not be bringing charges against Gerry Adams. The BBC began reporting this on early Monday evening, barely 24 hours after Adams had been released pending a file to the Public Prosecution …

After “closure,” the reopening of Bloody Sunday for at least four more years

Brian Walker on December 20, 2012, 9:29 pm

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In a statement, police said that for the investigation to be as “comprehensive and effective” as possible, they would be asking witnesses who gave evidence to the Saville inquiry to make statements to detectives. “This is because police are precluded from using Saville testimony in a criminal investigation. Details on how this process will be facilitated will be made available in the near future,” the statement said Press Release from Madden & Finucane Solicitors regarding Bloody Sunday Inquiry Report …

… to prosecute cases if the evidence emerges …

John Ó Néill on February 5, 2012, 9:56 am

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The Detail has an interesting piece to set alongside the DPP’s comments regarding confronting the past. It concerns the RUC and HET investigations into the killings such as the attack on Sean Grahams on the Ormeau Road which involved a Browning that was handed to the UFF/UDA by the RUC. The Detail outlines how: In 2010 the families were informed by the Historic Enquiries Team (HET) that police had “disposed of” interview notes of two loyalists who’d been caught in possession of the …

Irish DPP to consider Garland case

Pete Baker on January 27, 2012, 4:53 pm

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Having dismissed, in December last year, the US application for the extradition of former Irish Workers’ Party president, Seán Garland, in the long-running saga of the counterfeit ‘super-dollars’, Dublin High Court has now referred the case to the Director of Public Prosecutions to examine whether he should be charged in Ireland. From the BBC report Giving his reasons on Friday, Mr Justice John Edwards decided that the offence for which Mr Garland was wanted in America is regarded as having been committed in …

“Shaun Woodward ordered his recall on the basis of what his legal team have described as ‘closed material’.”

Pete Baker on December 19, 2011, 5:16 pm

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The BBC reports that Martin Corey has been “granted leave to seek a judicial review of the decision to revoke his licence over unspecified allegations that he was involved with dissident republicans.” The 61-year-old from Lurgan, County Armagh had been released on licence in 1992, having served 19 years of a life sentence for the murder of two RUC officers. In April last year, then Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Shaun Woodward, as the BBC report notes, “ordered his recall on the …

Why intelligent criticism is good for government (and politicians)

Mick Fealty on July 29, 2010, 2:10 pm

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I was uncharacteristically lost for words when I discovered, through Mark Devenport’s latest post, that a senior and highly capable Sinn Fein MLA was using material gleaned from a UK based right wing ginger group (funded so far as we can tell, by non taxpaying British expats) with a known record of rolling together own brand ‘dodgy dossiers’ (see Pete’s post for the detailed links). Adds: Just had one reader contact us to point out that this could be interpreted …

The jury is out (for some)

Blank on June 17, 2010, 2:28 pm

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With the publication of the Saville Report focus is now shifting to the possibility of prosecutions, some paratroopers are already under investigation by the Public Prosecutions Service over perjury at the inquiry but it is unknown if any criminal investigations and/or prosecutions will take place over events on the day. The DUP’s Peter Robinson has called for no prosecutions I think from a political point of view I have to say that I do not believe that there is anything …

Good riddance to Sir Alasdair…

Belfast Gonzo on June 11, 2010, 2:36 pm

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AND so farewell to Sir Alasdair Fraser, the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland, who is to retire in September. Conveniently, this will mean that he won’t have to take any tough decisions over prosecutions after the Saville Report is published. Sir Alasdair has been criticised in the past for failing to account for his decisions and he never defined what the “public interest” was when that became his only way of making them. This satisfied neither unionist, nationalist …