Chris Bray with his latest thoughts on the Boston College affair. It featured on his blog on 2 September 2014.
Ivor Bell was arrested in March. It's now September, and his prosecution has not gone forward. When, if ever, will he brought back into court? Six months, no action, dead silence.
Gerry Adams was arrested at the end of April. It's now September, and no decision has been announced regarding the possibility he'll be charged in Jean McConville's 1972 kidnapping and murder.
At about the same time, Helen McKendry said publicly that she knew who had kidnapped her mother, and said she would go to the police to name names. It is now September, and we have no public indication that the PSNI has acted upon, or even received, the information that McKendry said she was about to bring to them.
Someone at the PSNI leaked the news, back in May, that the police would be returning to the archives at Boston College for new subpoenas of the entire Belfast Project. It's now September, and there are no publicly available signs that those subpoenas were ever served.
The investigation into the murder of Jean McConville has stalled or evaporated. It's time for the PSNI and the PPS to either take action or provide some explanation. What has been the point of all this?
Do it or give it up, publicly and explicitly. It's time.
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Boston College tapes 'used to charge alleged former IRA man Ivor Bell in connection with Jean McConville murder a sham'Court hears
ReplyDelete' BY ALAN ERWIN – 04 SEPTEMBER 2014
An American university project used to charge an alleged former IRA commander with aiding and abetting the murder of Disappeared victim Jean McConville was "a complete sham", a court heard today. Ivor Bell's lawyer claimed the Boston College interviews were carried out without proper safeguards and oversight.
Seeking to have the case against the veteran republican halted, solicitor Peter Corrigan said: "The project... was operated on a basis with no validation of any of the work carried out."
cont....
Mr Corrigan insisted that the prosecution are relying exclusively on the interviews because no corroborative evidence exists.Describing Bell as an elderly man with serious health issues, he added: "His family now, after so many years, are now reliving the trauma in relation to the Troubles."
But after being told prosecutors want another eight weeks to consult with police, District Judge Fiona Bagnall indicated that the defence application should wait until full papers are served.
Adjourning proceedings until October 30, she said: "I would urge the prosecution to endeavour to prepare this case as quickly as possible."