Irish Northern Aid
News
 |
||||
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8084519.stm
The NI turnout for the European election on Thursday was 42.81%, nearly 9% down on the election five years ago.
Nationalists appear to have turned out in greater numbers than unionists and observers believe Sinn Fein's Bairbre De Brun will top the poll comfortably.
The area with the highest turnout was Mid Ulster at nearly 53%. The lowest was Strangford at just over 34%.
Election workers checked the papers from 1,600 ballot boxes. The votes will not be counted until Monday.
"When the count begins properly on Monday there will be great interest in who will fill the two remaining seats," said BBC NI Political Editor Mark Devenport.
"The three unionist candidates appear to be tightly packed, which means the Traditional Unionist Jim Allister must have taken a significant percentage of the DUP vote.
"With the SDLP maintaining their vote has held up, the pattern of transferred votes between the parties could prove crucial.
"It looks like Bairbre de Brun is on course to top the poll comfortably with perhaps as much as 28% of the vote."
The verification process suggests the following turnouts:
• Lagan Valley 38.86%
• South Belfast 42.1 %
• East Belfast 38.82%
• North Belfast 40.98%
• West Belfast 46.6 %
• South Down 44.97%
• North Down 34.48%
• Mid Ulster 52.83%.
• Newry and Armagh 43.7%
• East Antrim 34.53%
• South Antrim 38.03%
• Strangford 34.24%
• East Londonderry 42.34%
• Foyle 44.35%
• Fermanagh/South Tyrone 51.52%
• West Tyrone 50.27%
• Upper Bann 41.81%
• Newry Armagh 49.05%
• North Antrim 43.17%.
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Sinn-Feins-American-outreach-46913972.html
Up to 1,000 delegates are now expected to attend the Sinn Fein organized conference on the need for a united Ireland, which will take place in New York on Saturday, June 13.
Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams will host the major forum entitled “United Ireland – How Do We Get There?” at the Hilton Hotel, 1335 Sixth Avenue at 53rd Street in New York City.
Among the main speakers will be Adams himself; author Pete Hamill; Professor Brendan O’Leary of the University of Pennsylvania, an expert on partition issues; Brian Keenan, the former Beirut hostage; and Terry O’Sullivan, president of the Laborers International Union.
O’Leary should be particularly interesting. He has spent the last few years writing a constitution for the Kurdish part of Iraq and wrote several landmark books about Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles.
Others expected to attend include William Flynn, former chairman of Mutual of America who played a major role in the peace process, and leading members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, including former president Ned McGinley.
There will be buses coming to the event from Pennsylvania and Connecticut as well as possibly from Boston.
It marks the first major event for Sinn Fein in America with the exception of the party’s fundraising efforts, since they came into power with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland.
Speaking of the conference Adams noted, “Irish America played a significant role in securing the peace process. The next important task is unity.
“As part of the work of the party’s task force on Irish reunification we are hosting a number of significant forums in Ireland, the U.S. and Britain over the course of the coming year.
“Our task is to mobilize support at home and internationally for the democratic demand for Irish reunification to be met. I am delighted that the first event in New York has attracted such significant support both from prominent individuals and organizations.”
The New York conference will be followed by a similar event in San Francisco on Saturday, June 27 at St. Anne’s Hall there.
It will be another opportunity for Sinn Fein to fly the flag in America and to put paid to the claims by dissidents that they have allowed a united Ireland to slip off the agenda.
From that point of view the American trip by Adams serves two vital purposes -- to show that the party is still intent on their ambition for a united Ireland, and also to re-engage Irish Americans on the issue.
It has been hard to keep the momentum up in America, but there will always be a hardcore, especially among the Ancient Order of Hibernians and older Irish organizations, that are drawn to the situation in Northern Ireland and what Sinn Fein is doing.
It is 15 years since Adams was first allowed into the U.S. on the famous 48-hour visa, and during that time Sinn Fein have built up a deep presence in America and collected millions of dollars here.
They have also delivered on their promises over that period, to bring the IRA campaign to an end and to take part in the political negotiations that brought about the landmark Good Friday Agreement.
http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=94648
04 June 2009
Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy has said he will not be deterred from his job, following an arson attack on his family home in Co Armagh, which he claims was carried out by dissident republicans.
Mr Murphy, a Stormont minister, (pictured) said his children have been left traumatised by the incident, which is believed to have happened at around 1am this morning.
Paint was thrown at the Camlough house, and scorch damage was caused to windows.
Two cars were also set alight in the attack. Mr Murphy paid tribute to the Fire Service, who ensured the fire did not spread to the house.
"We managed to get the kids out of the house. They were all very traumatised by the incident. The Fire Brigade managed to get the fires out before the houses caught fire.
"There is damage to both houses because of the intensity of the blaze."
The Newry and Armagh MP described the attack as "cowardly" and insisted it would not deflect him from representing local people.
"The reality is the people who sneaked into my yard last night and traumatised my kids, my parents-in-law, my wife haven't offered any explanation as to who they are or what they're about.
"It is incumbent on them to do so and let people decide whether they offer a better way forward.
"Until such times as these people come out from under cover of darkness we can't actually ascertain who they are or what their motives are."
Police said they were treating the incident as malicious and have appealed for witnesses.
Last month the Derry home of Mr Murphy's party colleague Mitchell McLaughlin's was damaged in a petrol bomb attack.
Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has also been told his life is under threat from dissident republicans.
Today's incident was condemned by UUP Deputy Leader Danny Kennedy, who described it as an "attack on our democratic institutions".
"Our society has bitter and painful experience of attacks on elected representatives. In particular, attacking a family home is a vile crime," he said.
"I offer to Mr Murphy and his family my sympathies and urge anyone with information to pass it to the PSNI."
(PR/JM)
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/dup-mp-slams-mcguinness-over-sectarian-divisions-413688.html
Friday, June 05, 2009 - 04:29 PM
A senior unionist politician today rejected claims by the North's deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness that he is not doing enough to heal sectarian divisions.
The Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) Gregory Campbell dismissed complaints that by refusing to speak to the senior Sinn Féin representative, he was feeding-in to Protestant/Catholic divisions at grassroots level.
But Mr Campbell, who as Culture Minister in the power-sharing Assembly sits in government with Mr McGuinness, said he would not engage in what he described as ’token’ talks for the benefit of the cameras.
Mr Campbell also attacked Mr McGuinness’s former membership of the IRA and insisted he was prepared to work with all democrats to build a better future for everyone in the North.
The controversy comes in the aftermath of the May 24 killing of Catholic father-of-four Kevin McDaid in Coleraine, Co Derry, who was attacked by a Protestant mob.
Mr Campbell, who is MP for the area, condemned the killing but has also alleged Catholic intimidation of Protestants in the town.
He rejected a public call from Mr McGuinness for Mr Campbell to sponsor cross-community talks.
He also rejected calls for the DUP man to open up more cordial relations with Mr McGuinness.
“Each time there is an Executive meeting or any other business that we have to do, I talk to Martin McGuinness and to anyone else that I need to talk to to get the business done,” said Mr Campbell.
“Now if what Martin McGuinness alluded to, that we don’t engage in pleasantries, that we don’t have tea or coffee, well waken up Marty, waken up.
“Because that’s the picture. Get used to it. Grow-up and get on with your life because there are many people out there who can’t get on with their lives as result of the movement of which Martin McGuinness was a member of for 30 years.”
Kevin McDaid, 49, was killed yards from his home when violence flared after a 40-strong Loyalist mob stormed into the area after Rangers beat Celtic to the Scottish Premier League title.
Six men have so far been charged with the murder and they, together with three more, with the attempted murder of Damien Fleming, 46, who was critically injured in the disturbances.
Mr McDaid’s wife, a Protestant, was beaten by the gang, as was a pregnant neighbour who came to her aid.
The murdered man’s son Ryan McDaid has now been issued with a death threat by loyalists.
Mr Campbell appealed for anyone with information to come forward to police.
Mr McGuinness and leader of the nationalist SDLP Mark Durkan attended Mr McDaid’s funeral, as did Protestant clergymen. But there were no senior unionist politicians present.
Mr Campbell’s party said he had prior commitments on the day of the funeral.
Today Mr Campbell also said he preferred to deal with such sensitive issues in private and not in front of the cameras.
Asked if he would meet Sinn Féin politicians for talks in Coleraine, Mr Campbell told the BBC: “That would be tokenism. He (Mr McGuinness) knows that.
“He would like to try and make some sort of political tokenism... before the media and public, that everything was rosy in the garden.”
He added: “The reality out there on the streets is that we still have a deeply divided community. The way to address the deep divisions is to work towards the healing of those divisions.”
Mr Campbell said he would work with anyone who supported the rule of law, but added: “What I am not going to do is engage in some kind of tokenistic ritual for the cameras.”
Earlier this week, Mr McGuinness said he had set aside reservations over the DUP’s history to enter government with the party.
He added: “Gregory and others within the DUP in the Coleraine area need to step forward.
“Condemning the violence and murder of Kevin McDaid is not enough.
“What we need to see is people stepping forward, rolling up their sleeves, engaging in dialogue and contributing to the resolution of problems.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8076887.stm
The Executive has failed to contribute to a major European report on minority languages because of disagreement between Sinn Fein and the DUP.
It was supposed to submit details of how it is fulfilling a commitment to promote Irish and Ulster Scots under the terms of a European charter.
The Scottish and Welsh administrations have made lengthy submissions.
A document has been produced by the direct-rule NIO but is understood to amount to only a few pages.
Countries which have signed the European Charter for regional or minority languages must produce a report every three years explaining their policies and the actions they have to taken to fulfil their commitments.
The report is submitted to the Council of Europe.
The UK government is committed to protecting Welsh, Scots, Scots Gaelic, Ulster Scots, Irish, Manx Gaelic and Cornish.
'Failure'
Much of the implementation of the treaty is the responsibility of the devolved administrations.
At Stormont a cross-departmental group of civil servants works on implementing the treaty.
In a statement Stormont's Department of Culture said a report had been produced but has not been agreed by the Executive.
In a written answer to the Stormont Assembly the Culture Minister Gregory Campbell laid the blame with the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.
He said: "The Northern Ireland input is still being considered by the Deputy First Minister.
"I raised this issue at the Executive meeting on Thursday 23 April but agreement has still not been achieved.
"At this stage I am unable to specify when the report might be finalised.
"The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised my Department that the UK Report will issue to the Council of Europe in the near future, including input from the Northern Ireland Office, but without input from the Northern Ireland Executive."
Janet Muller from the Irish language group Pobal said the inability to agree a report was "a failure at the highest level of the devolved government."
"The First Minister and the Deputy First Minister cannot agree on the report about what is actually happening here in respect of the European charter and for this reason, after a ten month delay, the UK government has submitted a report with gaping holes in relation to the North.
"'This is an historic failure that shows the extent to which the protection for the Irish language has deteriorated since the re-establishment of the NI Assembly," she added.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/northern_ireland_politics/8086305.stm
Nearly 70 people were warned to step up security after loyalists used a PSNI database to monitor nationalists, the Court of Appeal has heard.
Lawyers for the Attorney General urged judges to increase sentences imposed on two Randalstown flute band members.
Aaron Hill, 24, Mainebank, and Darren Richardson, Moneynick Road, were convicted of collecting information likely to be useful to terrorists.
Hill received a 12-month suspended sentence and Richardson a year's jail.
Hill, who was a civilian working as a data inputter with the Police Service of Northern Ireland at the time of the offences, also admitted misconduct on public office.
Richardson, a manager at Wrightbus coach building firm in Ballymena, was also found guilty of possessing 40 rounds of live ammunition found in a drawer in his office. He was freed after sentencing in February because of time served on remand.
The case was referred back to the Court of Appeal by the Attorney General on the basis that the punishments were felt to be unduly lenient.
Richardson had gathered car registrations on Catholics living in the Randalstown and Toome areas and passed them on to Hill to run through the police database.
He was able to supply names and addresses which were discovered in Richardson's possession when their scheme was discovered in April 2007.
A lawyer for the Attorney General, said both men were members of the Randalstown Sons of Ulster Flute Band.
The barrister told the court up to 100 vehicles may have been checked, along with details on people believed to be Catholic members of staff at a local firm.
'Active loyalist'
He said that 67 people were contacted and "told their details had been put in a position where they would need to take measures for their own security".
"All of these people will be likely to have suffered as a result," he said.
He disputed the trial judge's description of the information gathering as being an "act of folly rather than a sinister plot".
He claimed the reason why Richardson wanted the details remained a matter of speculation.
"It's quite clear when one reads the interview notes that Mr Rirchardson was an active loyalist," he said.
"It's also quite clear a lot of this information related to members of the Roman Catholic or nationalist community."
But Richardson's barrister said he had developed a paranoia after his home and that of his parents was attacked.
"The kernel of his motivation was to keep one step ahead. They say information is power," the lawyer said.
Richardson was also said to have retained work in difficult economic circumstances, and was set to oversee a new £600,000 contract for 400 buses.
Hill's counsel described him as a naive young man who had turned to Richardson after his brother took his own life.
"Going to join a local loyalist band was prompted by the desire to have other male company he didn't have when he lost his brother," the court was told.
"He wanted to ingratiate himself to a significant person within a group he had joined and he did that by giving over the information."
The appeal was adjourned to allow further legal submissions.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8085879.stm
Five witnesses are under threat after the mob murder of youth worker Kevin McDaid, the High Court has been told.
The details were disclosed as one of the men accused of 49-year-old Catholic's murder applied for bail.
Christopher McDowell, 33, of Glebe Avenue, Coleraine, is among nine people charged in connection with the attack on Mr McDaid and another man on 24 May.
Mr Justice Treacy adjourned the application to study police interviews with the accused.
He was told that up to 30 people left a pub to go on a sectarian rampage through a part of Coleraine, County Londonderry, where the victim lived.
It was claimed the crowd launched an orchestrated assault on the Heights area because Irish flags had been erected.
Crown counsel told the court of attempts defuse tensions in the town on the day of the killing, which came after Rangers beat Celtic to claim the Scottish Premier League title.
Support for the two Glasgow football teams, known as the Old Firm, has traditionally divided along religious lines in Northern Ireland.
“ A substantial number of people, the Crown say between 20-30, took it upon themselves to descend upon these Catholic people - the attack itself appears to be orchestrated ”
Mr Justice Treacy
Most Rangers supporters are Protestants while Celtic fans are predominantly Catholic, and the rivalry between the teams has often been mirrored in sectarian violence following big games.
She said community liaison efforts were made before a crowd left a bar and headed for the Heights.
It was claimed at least one of them was wielding a weapon - possibly a baton or stick.
Witness statements alleged there were chants of "UDA" as the attack was being carried out.
The barrister confirmed that since the murder two witnesses have received police warnings that their lives are in danger.
A further three have also claimed to have received direct threats telling them to leave the Coleraine area, she said.
The defence disputed the murder charge against Mr McDowell, pointing out that a heart attack appeared to have caused Mr McDaid's death.
He told the court his client was prepared to live at an address in a nearby town under virtual house arrest conditions.
The lawyer also claimed that any threats issued by others should not be a reason for stopping the accused getting bail.
But Mr Justice Treacy told him those prepared to intimidate or frighten witnesses were "acting in the interests of those who have been charged".
"From the way in which the case was opened by the Crown it appears this was an orchestrated attack on a small, geographically limited Catholic enclave in Coleraine by people who earlier in the day... seemed to be fairly intent at some stage in moving towards this Catholic area," he said.
"Negotiations between them and police had taken place and, I'm told, the matter had been sorted.
"Notwithstanding that, a substantial number of people, the Crown say between 20-30, took it upon themselves to descend upon these Catholic people. The attack itself appears to be orchestrated."
http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/detail/38327
Kevin McDaid – another Robert Hamill
BY LAURA FRIEL
OVER a decade ago, in the aftermath of the sectarian murder of Portadown Catholic Robert Hamill, An Phoblacht pointed out that it takes more than a loyalist mob to lynch a man.
A mob can kill but it’s the reaction of others, the inaction of law enforcers, the compliance of the justice system, the acquiescence of political leaders that turns a brutal murder into a lynching.
Last month, with the mob murder of Coleraine Catholic Kevin McDaid, we witnessed another lynching. As in the murder of Hamill, the loyalists who killed McDaid did not hang him from the nearest tree. No, this was classic lynching – Ulster, not Alabama, style.
Kevin McDaid, a 49-year-old plasterer by trade, was beaten to death by a 40-strong loyalist mob which drove into a Catholic enclave within the town on Sunday 24 May after Glasgow Rangers beat Celtic to a Scottish football title.
The mob knocked Kevin to the ground and beat him repeatedly about the head. Hamill had died within days, McDaid just a few minutes later. Another man beaten with McDaid, Damien Fleming, remains, over a week later, unconscious, critical and on life support.
But parallels with the Hamill murder don’t end there. Like the RUC before them, on the night of McDaid’s murder, Coleraine PSNI anticipated trouble.
• In 1997, an armed RUC mobile patrol was parked close to where loyalist mobs routinely attacked Catholics making their way home.
• In 2009, the PSNI in Coleraine had mobilised back-up units in the anticipation of trouble following a Rangers football match.
Like the RUC before them, the PSNI in Coleraine knew exactly the location of any potential loyalist attack. Last August, loyalists had mounted a similar incursion into the Heights area involving a 200-strong mob.
• In 1997, a frantic relative who was walking home with her cousin, Robert Hamill, at the time of the attack, banged on the RUC Land Rover and pleaded for help. The RUC did nothing, emerging only after the brutal work of the mob had finished.
• In Coleraine, despite repeated pleas for protection from nationalist residents fearing an imminent loyalist incursion, the PSNI failed to deploy any of their aptly named ‘stand-by’ units until after the fatal attack took place and the mob responsible had made their getaway.
In both cases, information concerning contact between members of the RUC/PSNI and loyalists later emerged. In the case of Robert Hamill, evidence of a telephone call from the home of an RUC officer to a loyalist suspect. It has been alleged that the RUC officer advised the suspect to destroy forensic evidence linking him to the murder.
We know that, on the same day as the McDaid murder, PSNI officers were in constant contact with loyalists threatening an incursion and even acted on behalf of loyalists demanding the removal of two flags in the nationalist estate.
It has now emerged that PSNI officers were chatting with loyalists in the Scotts Bar prior to the attack. It has also been alleged that PSNI officers were involved in goading loyalists about the presence of Irish Tricolours in the nationalist Heights area.
MESSAGE OF HATE
Meanwhile, as in the aftermath of the Portadown murder, hate crime continued following the murder of Kevin McDaid, specifically targeting the murder victim’s family.
Words of sectarian hatred were posted on a loyalist website as the remains of Kevin McDaid were brought home. The blog refers to a loyalist band parade held on the same night.
“Congrats! The McDaid family could hear you loud and clear as the coffin returned home. I think they and the world got your message. No Surrender! Hate is all we have left!!!”
A number of hate messages were posted on a webpage dedicated to the loyalist Pride of the Bann flute band. The band had refused to cancel a parade which brought 2,000 loyalist supporters onto the streets of Coleraine just days after the sectarian murder. A number of unionist politicians publicly supported the band’s decision to march. In the words of a local DUP politician: “Life must go on.”
A message posted on the same website just prior to the parade urged the loyalist band to play “loud so they can hear you over the river”, a reference to the nationalist area where the family of the murdered man live.
Since the murder, the McDaid family and other witnesses have been subjected to further sectarian intimidation. A day after the killing Ryan McDaid spoke publicly about the death of his father.
Within 24 hours, the PSNI arrived to issue the standard official warning of a loyalist death threat against Ryan’s life. The PSNI said loyalist paramilitaries were planning “some kind of action” against him.
“They killed my father, now I get a death threat and it looks like they want to kill me, but they’ve taken my father and they can do no more to me now,” said Ryan.
Local Sinn Féin Councillor Billy Leonard said only “the sickest of the sick” would subject a family that was “already going through hell” to more trauma.
Loyalists are also attempting to intimidate other key witnesses to the McDaid murder and the attempted murder of Damien Fleming, who remains critical on life support and unconscious a week after the brutal attack.
CHARGES
Last week, nine men appeared in court facing a number of charges in relation to the loyalist attack.
Six were charged with the McDaid murder. Some were also charged with the attempted murder of Damien Fleming and assaulting others. One man was charged with causing an affray. Two 15-year-olds have been questioned and a 33-year-old released on bail “pending further inquiries”.
Amongst those charged with murder was Pride of the Bann band member 50-year-old John McGrath. Another man being questioned in connection with the murder, Frank Daly, was a member of the UDA-linked Ulster Democratic Party, a forerunner to the Ulster Political Research Group.
In court, the McDaid family had to be placed under armed guard when over 80 loyalist supporters as well as family members of the accused attended a hearing in which all nine were remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to all charges. Loyalists attending Ballymena Magistrate’s Court obscured their faces with hoodies and scarves.
Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, the involvement of the UDA has been repeatedly denied by the PSNI. Last week, that denial was reiterated by British minister Paul Goggins, who claimed there was no evidence to suggest paramilitary involvement.
Of course, if the PSNI had been aware of an UDA connection to threats made prior to the loyalist incursion, their failure to take timely action is even more serious. The actions of the PSNI are already the subject of an investigation by the Ombudsman following a formal complaint by the McDaid family.
The funeral of Kevin McDaid took place on Monday 1 June. No unionist politicians attended – neither the MP for the area, DUP MLA Gregory Campbell, nor any of the other three unionist MLAs for East Derry. It takes more than a sectarian mob to lynch a man.
Kevin McDaid was a peacemaker – McGuinness
SPEAKING on Monday after the funeral of Kevin McDaid, who was was beaten to death by a loyalist mob in Coleraine on Sunday, 24 May the North’s deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness said:
“I want to commend the courageous and dignified manner with which the McDaid family, and particularly Evelyn McDaid and her sons, have conducted themselves throughout the course of what must have been an extremely difficult and heart breaking time. The loss of a husband and a father will change their lives immensely.
“Kevin’s loss to the community will also be deeply felt. Kevin McDaid was a peacemaker; a contributor, a positive and constructive influence interested only in improving the lives of his neighbours and the community.
“Those within our community who espouse bigotry and sectarianism are the enemies of the people; they are the enemies of progress and peace. They must be defeated. But in my view they will only be defeated when those in influential positions of political leadership use their undoubted influence by joining in a united approach to rid our society of what is a great evil, the evil of sectarianism.
“I can come to no other conclusion than that there is a serious failure of real political leadership in the Coleraine area. The people of Coleraine deserve better. I believe that we all know what is required. It is essential that the tragic murder of Kevin McDaid is a catalyst to bring all those with influence together in a united campaign against sectarianism. Government, political leaders, the statutory sector, Unions, the churches, the community and voluntary sector, supported by all those of good will must lead the way.”
Articles may not be reproduced without the consent of An Phoblacht. For further information, please contact
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/8072332.stm
By Bryce McGarel
BBC News
In the wake of Manmohan 'Johnny' Sandhu's sentencing, the BBC News website looks at how the use of covert police surveillance of confidential lawyer/client interviews came to provide the basis of the case against him.
Last week, solicitor Johnny Sandhu found himself in the unusual position of being the one appearing in the dock at Belfast Crown Court.
The Londonderry lawyer, who had previously proclaimed his innocence, pleaded guilty to a series of charges, including inciting loyalist paramilitaries to murder and perverting the course of justice.
The case against Sandhu arose out of covert police recordings of confidential meetings he had held with clients at Antrim Police Station on various dates in 2005 and 2006.
During those meetings, Sandhu was heard inciting others to murder and also advising clients on how to dispose of evidence which could link them to crimes.
He also admitted using his position as a solicitor to keep loyalist paramilitaries up to date with the progress of police investigations.
Up until Sandhu's case, police had never brought a case against a suspect from evidence based on the covert surveillance of confidential interviews between a client and their solicitor.
'Inadmissable'
Sandhu's legal team made a pre-trial application to the Crown Court in an effort to get the proceedings against him dropped.
They argued that the evidence against their client was inadmissible because it had been obtained from interviews which were supposed to be confidential.
Historically, meetings between clients and their solicitors have been protected under the remit of Legal Professional Privilege (LPP).
LPP has its origin in the 16th Century and is described in legal doctrine as the "fundamental requirement that a man should not be inhibited in speaking freely and frankly to his lawyer".
However, in Sandhu's case the protection of LPP did not apply for a number of reasons.
One of those is down to what the House of Lords have described as the "inequity exception".
In short, this means that meetings between a lawyer and client are not protected by LPP if those communications are "in furtherance of crime or fraud".
Sandhu also fell short of being given protection under the remit of LPP because the right to privacy under its remit belongs to the client and not the solicitor.
Following his initial arrest in February 2006, John Bailie, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Law Society, met with Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde to discuss the issue.
At that time, Mr Bailie said they were taking the case so seriously because it was the first occasion they were aware of in Northern Ireland that "there had been this kind of intrusion into the solicitor-client relationship".
In the past, high-profile lawyers Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson both alleged that their meetings with clients in police stations had been bugged.
The point that police surveillance must "on occasion" have enabled the authorities to hear communications between a lawyer and their client is also made in a House of Lords judgement on the issue in March 2009.
Surveillance
However, it points out that, until the Sandhu case, the police had never attempted to submit the surveillance as evidence against a suspect.
Rory O'Connell, from the Human Rights Centre at Queen's University Belfast, said police had the legal authority to record solicitors' interviews with clients under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).
Dr O'Connell said that, under RIPA, police were entitled to record interviews between solicitors and clients to prevent or detect serious crime" to protect national security or the economic well being of the country, providing they have the authority of the chief constable, deputy chief constable or secretary of state.
"RIPA contains language that is very sweeping in terms of surveillance; few people were aware that it covered lawyer/client meetings, but according to the House of Lords it does," he said.
"I don't think it would be lawful for its use to become standard practice (during these meetings) as it has to be authorised by the chief constable or the secretary of state; and only where "necessary" and "proportionate".
"However, I do think that if there is to be this power, there needs to be more explicit guidelines on how RIPA acts within the remit of lawyer/client privilege.
"For example, some judges have strongly hinted that it would violate a detainee's rights if the results of that surveillance were used to bring a case against him or her, but the legislation does not expressly forbid this use of the material".
"Several of the law lords indicated that the guidelines set out do not deal with this in as rigorous a manner as human rights law requires.
"Indeed, some law lords criticised the Home Secretary for failing to take steps to revise the Code of Practice following an earlier court ruling in November 2007."
http://www.republicanherald.com/articles/2009/06/05/opinion/editorial/pr_republican.20090605.a.pg12.pr00passingkieran_s1.2576283_edi.txt
Published: Friday, June 5, 2009 4:14 AM EDT
The Friends of St. Kieran’s is pulling out all the stops for its first-ever Heritage Day and Walk for St. Kieran’s, which will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday in Heckscherville.
The nonprofit organization was formed to promote and preserve the historic St. Kieran Roman Catholic Church and its surroundings, including the grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the school, rectory, convent and cemetery. The church fell victim to the diocesan parish consolidation last year, but the friends group wants to keep its traditions and memory alive.
The actual walk will begin at 1 p.m. People who are unable to participate can sponsor a walker in memory of a loved one. During the walk, all county divisions of the Ancient Order of Hibernians will conduct a ceremony. Following the walk, the Irish band The Troubles will entertain at the Clover Fire Company, where you will be able to grab a bite to eat. Admission is free, but donations will certainly be accepted.
Also, Tom Dempsey, a noted genealogist and historian, will be on hand to answer questions about looking up family roots, and there will be lectures on the history of St. Kieran’s and its former parishioners. At 4:30 p.m., Thomas Symons will lead a walk through the old parish cemetery.
Here’s your chance to have a grand time in the Irish Valley and support a great cause. If you can’t attend but want to contribute, you can send a check to Friends of St. Kieran’s, 18 Spruce St., Ashland, PA 17921.
Updated: 10/4/2009
Use the Guest Book to Comment on the web site or individual stories.
To get Irish News updates emailed to you
