CCRC to re-open case of Craigavon Two
In recent weeks, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) informed legal representatives for the Craigavon Two, that they now intend to re-open the case following years of wrongful imprisonment. For the family and friends of Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton (an anarchist and IWW member) it’s a case, said to equal that of the miscarriage of justice cases, such as the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four.
Concerns have been raised over the convictions of Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton, the “Craigavon Two”, after it was revealed that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) monitored members of their legal team. The two men were convicted in 2012 of the 2009 murder of police officer Stephen Carroll, who was shot by a Continuity IRA sniper. Both men denied involvement and have been the focus of a miscarriage of justice campaign.
A review by barrister Angus McCullough KC, commissioned to investigate PSNI surveillance practices, found that authorisation was given in 2013 to obtain communications data belonging to McConville’s solicitors Peter Corrigan and Darragh Mackin, ahead of an appeal that was ultimately unsuccessful. McCullough raised concerns about the treatment of legal privilege in the authorisations.
Corrigan and Mackin described the surveillance as unlawful and said it undermined the defendants’ right to a fair trial.
The convictions have long been controversial. Wootton, arrested at 17, initially received a 14-year sentence later increased to 18 years, while McConville received a life sentence with a 25-year minimum. The case relied heavily on testimony from a man referred to as Witness M whose father called him a Walter Mitty character, a compulsive liar and disputed the claim that he was even in the area at the time. Surveillance was also carried out on the father’s home and on meetings involving the defence team and campaigners.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has reopened McConville’s case, partly due to concerns about suspected British agent Dennis McFadden, who is alleged to have infiltrated the defence campaign. The CCRC confirmed the case remains under review.
Written for Wildcat No. 62, Newsletter of the IWW WISE-RA
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