The Five Demands

Il Chief Constable della PSNI perde la causa legale per impedire la divulgazione di rapporti segreti in merito al presunti casi di “shoot-to-kill” (sparare per uccidere), in Irlanda del Nord

Un giudice dell’High Court ha sentenziato che era in diritto del coroner John Leckey la decisione di permettere ad un parente prossimo di visionare la versione modificata delle prove.
Queste si riferiscono ad una serie controversa di sparatorie del Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), risalenti a 28 anni fa nella contea di Armagh.
Questa sentenza viene vista come un’importante vittoria per i familiari delle vittime.
Il caso coinvolge sei persone, tra uomini dell’IRA, sospetti INLA e un adolescente cattolico, tutti uccisi nelle vicinanze di Lurgan e Armagh nel 1982.
Un’indagine per appurare se la polizia intendeva ucciderli è stata affidata a John Stalker, ex Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable e a Sir Colin Sampson della West Yorkshire Police.
I rapporti di Stalker e Sampson  non sono mai stati resi pubblici.
L’indagine è stata poi ampliata per meglio comprendere la morte di tre ufficiali della RUC uccisi da una bomba dell’IRA, nello stesso anno.
Nel respingere l’azione giudiziaria di Matt Baggott, il giudice Gillen ha dichiarato che il medico legale deve avere un “ampio potere discrezionale”, sulla conduzione delle proprie indagini.
“E’ di vitale importanza per garantire che le parti interessate e i parenti stretti di partecipare ad un’aperta, informata e trasparente egualmente a tutte le altre parti, nelle varie fasi dell’istruttoria”.
Il giudice ha accolte le argomentazioni della difesa di Leckey, a sostegno della necessità di una inchiesta pubblica in questioni circa  l’asserzione che lo Stato ha una politica di “sparare per uccidere”.

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Baggott loses shoot-to-kill secret reports challenge (BBC News Northern Ireland)
The Chief Constable has lost a legal challenge to prevent the disclosure of secret reports into alleged shoot-to-kill cases in Northern Ireland.
A High Court judge ruled that senior coroner John Leckey was right to decide next of kin should be allowed to see edited versions of the probes.
These detail a series of controversial Royal Ulster Constabulary shootings in County Armagh 28 years ago.
Campaigners said the ruling was an important victory for the families.
The case involves six people, including IRA men, INLA suspects and a Catholic teenager, who were all shot dead around Lurgan and Armagh in 1982.
An investigation into whether police planned to kill them was carried out by former Greater Manchester Police Deputy Chief Constable John Stalker and Sir Colin Sampson of the West Yorkshire Police.
The Stalker and Sampson reports have never been made public.
The coroner’s probe was also widened to include the deaths of three RUC officers killed by an IRA landmine the same year.
Lawyers for the Chief Constable were seeking to judicially review Mr Leckey’s direction for the handing over of “redacted” copies of the two reports.
Wide-ranging discretion
Police insisted the reports should not be disclosed, and then forwarded to next of kin, without the coroner first ruling on the relevance of the papers.
Bullets Three IRA men were shot dead at a checkpoint by police in 1982
They wanted Mr Leckey’s determination quashed, arguing that it would impede applications for any Public Interest Immunity certificates.
In dismissing the police application, Mr Justice Gillen held that the Coroner must have a “wide-ranging discretion” as to how he conducts his inquiry.
“If inquests are to maintain public confidence, put minds at rest and answer the questions of the families who are bereaved, it is vital to ensure that the interested parties and next of kin can participate in an informed, open and transparent fashion on an equal footing with all other parties throughout the various stages of the inquest including, at the very outset of the process, the very scope of the inquest.
“This can only be achieved where appropriate disclosure has been made of potentially relevant material.”
The judge acknowledged how next of kin may be in a “unique position” to help the coroner pursue avenues and throw new light on material.
Mr Justice Gillen said he accepted arguments by Mr Leckey’s barrister that there was a need for a public investigation into issues surrounding the allegation that the State has a shoot-to-kill policy.
“This requires the coroner to view disclosure in a generous light to enable informed representations to be made by the notice parties as to the scope of the inquest itself.”