25 September 2003 Edition

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RUC lies exposed

Breandán Mac Cionnaith of the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition said serious questions still remain unanswered about RUC evidence used against him in an unsuccessful prosecution for protesting against the imposition of an Orange Order parade at Drumcree in 1995.

The Garvaghy Road spokesperson was speaking at Belfast High Court on Wednesday 17 September after losing an appeal against a judge's dismissal of a civil action he had taken claiming damages against the RUC for malicious prosecution.

In the course of his judgement, Judge Brian Kerr described the evidence given in court by James Blair, the senior RUC man in charge of Portadown during 1995 and 1996, as "most unsatisfactory" and "troubling". Documentary evidence concerning a banning order imposed on the protest in 1995 and submitted by Blair during the original hearing was found to be false.

Kerr described Blair's attempted explanation of that evidence as "difficult to accept" and a "most curious way of proceeding". He also described the contents of Blair's report and log, which was also entered in evidence in relation to the original case as "disturbing" and "mystifying".

McCionnaith told An Phoblacht it was clear from Judge Kerr's comments that he and five others were correct in taking this legal action in order to expose the RUC's mishandling of the original case.

In 1996, all charges of obstructions against each of the defendants were dismissed. In dismissing the original case, the resident magistrate characterised the RUC's evidence as "nebulous and flimsy".


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