Jordan inquest jeopardised

Legal proceedings relating to the shooting dead of unarmed IRA Volunteer Pearse Jordan 12 years ago could be put in jeopardy after it was revealed that the RUC man responsible for the controversial killing has moved out of the Six Counties.

The killer, identified as Sergeant A, no longer lives in the North, raising serious questions as to whether he can be compelled to attend the inquest into Pearse Jordan's death, which has been stalled since the 1992 killing.

Jordan (22) was gunned down in a shoot-to-kill operation on the Falls Road on 25 November 1992, when two vehicles carrying members of an elite RUC unit rammed his car outside the City Cemetery. Jordan was shot three times in the back from close range as he stumbled from the car.

Jordan was unarmed at the time and nothing incriminating was found in the car he was driving.

His parents, Hugh and Teresa, have continuously fought for an inquest into the killing of their son, but they have been blocked by the state and its forces at every turn. Nevertheless, Hugh Jordan has pledged to carry on in search of justice in whatever way he can, including taking the case to Europe.

"The PSNI have withheld key evidence from coroners' courts and then when they have been forced by the courts to hand it over, they have given assurances they will comply, only to go back on their commitments," he said.

"The PSNI and British Government have constantly challenged any rulings made in the courts. The reality is I would prefer that the European courts were able to impartially consider all these cases and issues because there is no possibility of British justice in this type of case", said Jordan.

The Jordan family also welcomed the potential impact of some of the recommendations arising out of a judicial review initiated earlier this year by solicitors acting for the family.

The ruling issued opens up the possibility that after any inquest into the killing, the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions may have to re-examine its decision not to prosecute the RUC members involved in the killing, specifically Sergeant A.

It also opens up the possibility that the inquest will be allowed to examine the planning of the RUC operation in which Pearse Jordan was killed, as well as reaching a conclusion on the nature of the killing.