‘New details in the Craigavon 2 case rubbishes ‘evidence’ used against the two men’
In another miscarriage of justice the two men, John paul Wotten and Brendan Mconville remain held indefinitely even when it has been shown that the evidence used to blame the two men is farcical at best, but sinister more than anything else.
There has been an overt and covert campaign by the British establishment to sow discord in Republican areas among political activists. This case is but one of many cases that has shown that the dirty war using agents of the state to infiltrate areas to intimidate, divide and destroy any political opponents deemed to be a risk.
The two men were wrongly convicted for the death of a member of the PSNI in an attack later claimed by the Continuity IRA in March 2009. It has been revealed that the gun which was supposed to have been used to carry out the attack had been identified only on remarks made by a vulnerable person.
Papers from a case brought to the European court by the lawyer of the witness reveal that the witness who is only named as ‘RE’ was vulnerable at the time of giving evidence and without an appropriate adult which should have been the case. The vulnerable witness had asked to speak to PSNI officers “off the record”, but without an appropriate adult present.
The witness was also reported to have been illegally spied on during conversations between him and his lawyer. In the case against the British government, it was found that the witness had been arrested and interrogated three times in the weeks after the attack.
It was also revealed that witness ‘RE’ had initially been charged with withholding information, but the charges were subsequently dropped. The solicitors who represented ‘RE’ said that the European courts ruling has wider implications.
“The European Court criticized the inadequate procedures currently in place in Northern Ireland for the handling, use, storage and destruction of information obtained from covert surveillance of legal consultations,” she said.
“The police arrangements were and continue to be a violation of the right to respect for private life.
“This landmark European ruling has implications for all legal consultations in police stations if subjected to covert surveillance.”
Mr.Mconvilles solicitors have asked for notes taking during interrogations of witness ‘RE’. These findings leave the case against Brendan and John Paul on shakier ground than ever, but the media campaign continues to demonize the two and continue to demonize the republican community in general. This will not change anytime soon as it has been a policy for many years to demonize and criminalize republicans.
The Risen People 