Three Ardoyne families are taking the unprecedented step today of going to the high court to seek a judicial review into the validity of the inquest into the controversial SAS and RUC killings of their loved ones.
The families of IRA men Jackie Mailey, James Mulvenna and Denis ’Dinny’ Brown have launched a test case in the high court in Belfast. Justice Kerr will hear the application for leave to apply for judicial review – the first stage of the proceedings – this morning.
The families are asking the court to quash the inquest into the three men’s deaths, which took place in 1980, and to order a fresh inquest.
Angela Richie from solicitors Madden and Finucane said the reason was that vital papers concerning the killings at the Ballysillan Post Office telecommunications depot were not submitted at the original inquest.
“The families are asking the Court to order that the Chief Constable of the PSNI now provide the Coroner with all material which is in the possession of the police, but which had been withheld from the coroner at the time he held the original inquest,” she said.
Ms Richie said it had been established in the cases of Pearse Jordan – shot by the RUC in 1992 – and Peter Thompson – shot dead by the British army in 1990 – that the RUC were “spoon-feeding” the coroner selected information.
“We now know, from the inquests which are ongoing for the Jordan and Thompson families, that when the RUC was providing coroners with evidence and material which the Coroners required to conduct the inquests, that the RUC decided themselves what evidence was relevant and what should be provided to the Coroner.”