31 Jan KRW Law Solicitor calls on Chief Constable to investigate Hooded Men Torture.
We act on behalf of two of the Hooded Men Liam Shannon and Jim Auld both of whom were subjected to torture by the security forces at the outset of Internment in 1971.
Despite almost 10 years of legal agitation through the courts the State has still failed to properly respond to three separate court Rulings confirming an inadequate PSNI response to investigate new evidence of torture.
In December 2021 the Supreme Court affirmed an earlier Court of Appeal Ruling on the need to investigate.
Despite agreeing not to challenge a previous undertaking to investigate and indeed confirming that position at the Supreme Court the PSNI have still failed to move on the case.
Speaking today https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001hdym on BBC radio Foyle solicitor Kevin Winters from KRW LAW Conflict Litigation Dept said,
“After the Supreme Court Ruling, we engaged with the Chief Constable to find out when the investigation would resume. We have been met with nothing but prevarication.
The upshot of that intensive communication is an indication in October last year After the Supreme court Ruling that PSNI are ‘considering their position on whether or not to investigate. I attended a meeting with a then ACC who confirmed the matter had been transferred to senior independent police officer Jon Boutcher and Draft Terms of Reference were drawn up for him to investigate. However, what we are now told amounts to a row back from the court’s Ruling.
We are back to where we started and that’s unacceptable legally and morally. There’s a sneaking suspicion that 13 months on from the Supreme Court Ruling there’s an attempt to wind down the clock until the Legacy Bill becomes law.
I now call on the Chief Constable to do what was repeatedly promised at all stages throughout the legal process. Five of the Hooded Men are now dead, and time isn’t on anyone’s side. He needs to do the right thing now and make an immediate announcement.”