CAROLINE MORELAND – LEAVE GRANTED IN JUDICIAL REVIEW AGAINST PSNI

For many years it has also been known that the British government – specifically the shadowy agencies of the RUC Special Branch, MI5 and the Force Reconnaissance Unit (FRU), ran agents infiltrated into the IRA including the agent known as Stakeknife, now recognised as Freddie Scappaticci.

 

We represent a number of relatives of victims who were murdered by the IRA Internal Security Team known as “The Nutting Squad” which headed by alleged British informer and agent Freddie Scappaticci – Stakeknife. It is believed that Scappaticci and The Nutting Squad were responsible for at least 24 murders during the Conflict and that the activities of Scappaticci possibly extended to the early period of the PSNI, the institutional successor to the RUC. The nefarious activities of Scappaticci throughout a sustained period engage serious allegations of collusion with British Security Forces including RUC Special Branch, FRU and MI5.  The victims of Scappaticci included the mother of our client Marc Moreland – Caroline Moreland.

 

Today in the High Court in Belfast Mr Justice Colton gave leave for a judicial review applied for by Marc Moreland on behalf of his mother Caroline Moreland. Caroline Moreland was murdered by The Nutting Squad in 1994 because she was an alleged informer against the IRA. The role of Stakeknife in this murder has now come under scrutiny following a direction by the DPP to the PSNI to conduct a full independent investigation into the activities and handling of Stakeknife. No one was prosecuted at the time of Caroline Moreland’s murder.

 

On behalf of Marc Moreland, KRW LAW LLP applied for a judicial review of the PSNI on the basis that the investigation into the activities and handling of Stakeknife, including the murder of Caroline Moreland, should be conducted in a manner compliant with the human standards demanded when there has been a violation of Article 2 – the right to life – of the European Convention on Human Rights.

 

Today Mr Justice Colton granted leave on the basis that there is an arguable case that there is sufficient material to meet the required test of evidence which could lead to a prosecution.  We hope now that Stakeknife, his crimes and his employers – the British government – will now be independently investigated and held to account following a full hearing in this important judicial review application later this year.

 


 

 

Contact: Kevin Winters – kevin@kevinrwinters.com

KRW LAW LLP

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Belfast
Co Antrim
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