RUC... lest we forget

[red hander]

By Press Association

A POLICE cover-up surrounding the plastic bullet killing of an innocent woman led to a breakdown in the rule of law, the High Court has heard.
Lawyers for the husband of Nora McCabe claimed officers closed ranks and lied under oath to shield two colleagues from facing murder charges.
It was also contended that video footage from the scene in Belfast 28 years ago "comprehensively destroyed" police accounts of what happened.
Jim McCabe is seeking a court order to quash the decision not to charge the sergeant who fired the fatal round or his commanding chief superintendent with either murder or manslaughter. Both men have since died.
They are also challenging a decision not to prosecute any officers for perjury or attempting to pervert the course of justice at the inquest into Mrs McCabe's death.
The 33-year-old mother of three was killed in July 1981 by a baton round fired as she returned from the shops to her home in Linden Street, west Belfast.
Opening the application for judicial review in front of a three-judge panel, Barry Macdonald QC claimed decision makers must have "taken leave of their senses" to find the case did not meet the standard for prosecuting.
The barrister said the baton round was fired "for no good reason" by a police sergeant from a Land Rover. It fractured Mrs McCabe's skull and she died the next day.
"The shot was fired not just in the presence but also under the direction of the officer commanding the entire police division of west Belfast," Mr Macdonald said.
"The police left the scene, claiming not to have been aware of what had happened, and they subsequently made statements categorically denying any involvement in the incident at Linden Street."
A direction for no prosecution was given largely because it was not clear who fired the baton round.
Mr Macdonald said police gave evidence under oath at the subsequent inquest before the family disclosed that they had a video tape which, he claimed, demolished the officers credibility.
This footage, from a Canadian News crew, was played in court.
Mr Macdonald said despite its emergence, the Director of Public Prosecutions still declined to bring any charges against officers for murder, manslaughter, perjury or attempting to pervert the course of justice. "What these facts reflect, in our submission, apart from obviously the deep personal tragedy for the family, was a breakdown in the rule of law in the legal sense," he claimed.
"The police could shoot an innocent citizen with impunity. They could then engage in a systematic cover-up with impunity, safe in the knowledge that by closing ranks and denying everything they could evade prosecution, essentially because they anticipated their evidence would be accepted in preference to any civilian evidence."
Paul Maguire QC, responding for the DPP, stressed that the coroner who heard witness accounts and viewed the film during the inquest could have reported a view to prosecutors that a criminal offence had been committed.
"That did not occur in this case," Mr Maguire said.


From Belfast Telegraph

ALLEGATIONS of collusion within a "hopelessly incompetent police force" or one which was full of officers who "had no desire to find out the truth" may not be published by the Robert Hamill Inquiry following complaints from lawyers representing individual police officers and the PSNI.
Discussions over joint claims made by British Irish Rights Watch (BIRW) and the Committee of the Administration of Justice (CAJ) are to take place between the inquiry and the various legal teams after objections were raised during yesterday's proceedings.
Charles Adair QC, who represents a number of individual police officers, told the panel that he thought it seemed "unfair" that allegations made in the written closing submission from the human rights bodies would be published in full on the inquiry's website.
He said he had concerns some of these allegations — which have never been made in the course of the inquiry — would "gain prominence" and therefore "taint" the reputation of some of his clients.
On Tuesday the human rights bodies delivered a joint closing submission to the inquiry in which they claimed Mr Hamill's death was either the  result of  a "hopelessly incompetent police force, incapable of the detection of serious crime" or a police force full of officers who "simply did not care what happened to Robert Hamill and had no desire to find out the truth".
Mr Hamill, a Catholic father-of- three, died in hospital 11 days after he was beaten by a sectarian mob in Portadown in April 1997.
The BIRW and CAJ claimed there was institutionalised sectarianism within the RUC and accused police of collusion in its handling of the murder probe.
Yesterday, Mr Adair said these allegations — some of which were not read out during Tuesday's proceedings — were "outrageous".
Lawyers for the PSNI, and Robert Atkinson — the former reserve constable accused of tipping off Alistair Hanvey, a suspect in the murder of Mr Hamill — also supported Mr Adair's complaint.
Last night a spokeswoman from the Robert Hamill Inquiry said: "The inquiry is committed in principle to placing the contents of all written closing submissions on its website. In specifics to the BIRW submission, the inquiry is consulting with the interested parties' legal representatives and BIRW as to the best way to proceed."

[longrunsthefox]

I remember the inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence and subsequent cover-up by police in London concluded the Metropolitan force was 'intrinsically racist.'  The RUC were intrinsically sectarian but I wouldn't hold out much hope of this being said when report into Robert Hamill murder is released. Wouldn't be politically expedient...     

[stew]

Gnevin & co were all over pints and me a few weeks ago about comments we posted on here about the police in the six and the fact that we didnt trust them, this sort of disgusting carry on is why, too many holdovers are still there, too many murderers reside among their ranks and the British government covered for them.

Bloody Sunday, Omagh, the death of a Catholic cop, killed by his own, the list goes on and on and anyone that thinks the psni is that muc different from the ruc need to have their heads examined, people are still being harassed by these useless fcukers, you know, cops who coddle drug dealers for information and useless peelers watching the scum of the earth wreck about the towns in the north and do nothing.

They will get respect when they earn respect and right now I have nothing but contempt for them and the story outlined above is why I distrust the peelers in the north to this day.

[Puckoon]

Stew  - there is little doubt that the RUC were not even close to being the non partisan police force that northern ireland requires. Its the hanging on to these old notions and refusing to move forward with any sort of faith in the PSNI that I dont get.

I mean at the end of the day, there is blood on Martin and Gerrys hands, however we are prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt in our new stormont government?

[stew]

Stew  - there is little doubt that the RUC were not even close to being the non partisan police force that northern ireland requires. Its the hanging on to these old notions and refusing to move forward with any sort of faith in the PSNI that I dont get.

I mean at the end of the day, there is blood on Martin and Gerrys hands, however we are prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt in our new stormont government?

Why would I have faith in this current rendition of the ruc puck when I have seen with my own eyes the way they treat decent people, people who have never been in trouble in their lives? I am not hanging on to old notions, I have seen their ineptitude first hand and in their own way they are every bit as bad as the ruc were.

I would love to be able to say good things about them because then they would be doing their jobs impartially and to the best of their ability, some of this current breed are lazy, lying scum who go out of their way to harass people out of pettiness.

[Minder]

Nothing wrong with the peelers, Marty and Gerry says so.

[longrunsthefox]

Stew-I think you will find that is the nature of the police wherever you go... brutal bully boys  whether they are PSNI, Gardai, NYPD, LAPD... pig in a uniform.     

[Orior]

Actually, I'd say at this point in time, there is a big difference between the RUC and the PSNI.

Still a way to go before its an all-Ireland police force though.

[longrunsthefox]

Actually, I'd say at this point in time, there is a big difference between the RUC and the PSNI. Still a way to go before its an all-Ireland police force though.

Aye they now target foreign nationals instead of Catholics

[stew]

Stew-I think you will find that is the nature of the police wherever you go... brutal bully boys  whether they are PSNI, Gardai, NYPD, LAPD... pig in a uniform.   

Ballix fox, sure there are bad eggs here and there on every force but ffs the psni must rip the arse clean out of the ratios of good to bad.

We were brought up respect everyone and the parents never bothered anybody, my sister married into a very republician family and since then she has been scundered as has her husband and children, not a one of them ever had so much more than a speeding ticket against them, yet there they sit, on the side of the road by the heroes in the psni, not so different fronm the bad old days of the ruc eh.

This then spilled over into the lives of my parents, my da was assaulted in his own home because he refused to let a psni officer into his home as he had followed the brother home and wanted to question him on something he knew he had nothing to do with, admitted as much and this was caught on tape, this bastard has vowed to scunder the family, all because he hates my sisters in laws.

Some craic that wha.

[longrunsthefox]

No harm on you Stew... but I read that post a few times and haven't a f**ing clue what you are on about 

[stew]

No harm on you Stew... but I read that post a few times and haven't a f**ing clue what you are on about 

It's not that hard fox, there are good and bad people in every walk of life, the psni have more than their share of the latter.

As for the rest, they have scundered families for decades and continue to do so, only they are now branching out to scunder the extended families of those they love to piss about and harass.

[longrunsthefox]

Stew I have no time for any police force... I know we need police but its a job does seem to attract a lot of sectarian bullies and racists. I ain't really disagreeing with you here. 

[stew]

Stew I have no time for any police force... I know we need police but its a job does seem to attract a lot of sectarian bullies and racists. I ain't really disagreeing with you here.

No but I hope you didnt mean they were all bad, it just seemed that way.

I find the police over here in Green Bay sound, the top man in the city lives next to me and I have a lot of respect for him, i also know a few of the officers and they are great lads, we share the same local, a row broke out one night, actually the first row ever in this place and there were over thirty of them in the place, two irishmen rolling around batin the heads of one another and they broke it up, calmed them down and sorted the thing out in no time. Sensible policing and cops with no agenda is what we need, alas it is a far cry from what the north has.

[longrunsthefox]

I wonder if they were two black men fighting would they be as understanding