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| Prosecution service failed alleged IRA rape victims, says Keir Starmer report | Prosecution service failed alleged IRA rape victims, says Keir Starmer report |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| This article is the subject of a legal complaint. | |
| Three alleged victims of rape and an IRA cover-up were let down by Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service, a damning report by the UK’s former director of public prosecutions has found. | Three alleged victims of rape and an IRA cover-up were let down by Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service, a damning report by the UK’s former director of public prosecutions has found. |
| Mairia Cahill, whose great-uncle Joe was one of the founders of the Provisional IRA, last autumn publicly accused the organisation of covering up alleged rape and then organising a “Kangaroo court” in which they forced her to meet her alleged attacker. | Mairia Cahill, whose great-uncle Joe was one of the founders of the Provisional IRA, last autumn publicly accused the organisation of covering up alleged rape and then organising a “Kangaroo court” in which they forced her to meet her alleged attacker. |
| Related: IRA accused of trying to cover up rape claim | Related: IRA accused of trying to cover up rape claim |
| Three trials involving Cahill and two others connected to her allegations collapsed after all three of them withdrew their evidence. Cahill said she had lost faith in the Public Prosecution Service’s handling of her case. She had claimed a senior IRA figure in west Belfast raped her as a teenager and then his comrades tried to cover up the crime. | Three trials involving Cahill and two others connected to her allegations collapsed after all three of them withdrew their evidence. Cahill said she had lost faith in the Public Prosecution Service’s handling of her case. She had claimed a senior IRA figure in west Belfast raped her as a teenager and then his comrades tried to cover up the crime. |
| A 47-page report headed by Sir Keir Starmer, released on Friday, has identified more than a dozen failings by the PPS in relation to the cases. The former chief of the Crown Prosecution Service, now a Labour MP, concluded it was “almost inevitable” that Cahill, along with two other alleged victims identified only as “AA” and “BB” , had decided to withdraw their evidence given these failings. | A 47-page report headed by Sir Keir Starmer, released on Friday, has identified more than a dozen failings by the PPS in relation to the cases. The former chief of the Crown Prosecution Service, now a Labour MP, concluded it was “almost inevitable” that Cahill, along with two other alleged victims identified only as “AA” and “BB” , had decided to withdraw their evidence given these failings. |
| “Each of them was prepared to support their allegations at the outset, but as their cases became increasingly weakened and delayed, their willingness to continue understandably diminished,” Starmer’s report notes. | “Each of them was prepared to support their allegations at the outset, but as their cases became increasingly weakened and delayed, their willingness to continue understandably diminished,” Starmer’s report notes. |
| Communication with victims and witnesses was variable and at times inadequate | Communication with victims and witnesses was variable and at times inadequate |
| “Communication with victims and witnesses was variable and at times inadequate. Failures to communicate contributed to a loss of faith by MC [Mairia Cahill], AA and BB in the PPS conduct and handling of the cases,” it continues. | “Communication with victims and witnesses was variable and at times inadequate. Failures to communicate contributed to a loss of faith by MC [Mairia Cahill], AA and BB in the PPS conduct and handling of the cases,” it continues. |
| Among the other failings, Starmer says: “The decision to proceed with the membership charges was not taken and endorsed at a sufficiently senior level in the PPS. Nor was sufficient consideration given by PPS staff and counsel to the potential impact of the membership cases on the sexual abuse case. | Among the other failings, Starmer says: “The decision to proceed with the membership charges was not taken and endorsed at a sufficiently senior level in the PPS. Nor was sufficient consideration given by PPS staff and counsel to the potential impact of the membership cases on the sexual abuse case. |
| “The overall delay in the sexual abuse prosecution was unacceptable. It was regrettable that the listing date of the sexual abuse trial was postponed on a number of occasions and that delays were not more robustly opposed.” | “The overall delay in the sexual abuse prosecution was unacceptable. It was regrettable that the listing date of the sexual abuse trial was postponed on a number of occasions and that delays were not more robustly opposed.” |
| Starmer’s report adds: “In view of the foregoing findings, we find that MC, AA and BB were let down by the PPS and counsel.” | Starmer’s report adds: “In view of the foregoing findings, we find that MC, AA and BB were let down by the PPS and counsel.” |
| Speaking before a meeting with Northern Ireland’s director of public prosecutions, Barra McGrory QC, Cahill told the Guardian she felt Starmer’s report had been “damning”. | Speaking before a meeting with Northern Ireland’s director of public prosecutions, Barra McGrory QC, Cahill told the Guardian she felt Starmer’s report had been “damning”. |
| She said: “For the last seven months Sinn Féin politicians have sought to use my decision to pull out of the cases as a weapon to beat me with. This report today clearly shows why we lost faith in the case and it vindicates the decision to withdraw from it. It is a damning report identifying so many failings and I hope Sir Keir’s recommendations will be implemented so no other victims have to go through what we did.” | |
| She added that there was a separate Police Ombudsman investigation into her complaints about how the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) handled her claims of rape and IRA cover-up. | She added that there was a separate Police Ombudsman investigation into her complaints about how the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) handled her claims of rape and IRA cover-up. |
| McGrory issued a personal apology to the three people at the centre of the controversy. He said: “I want to take this opportunity to express as director of public prosecutions a sincere apology to the three victims in these cases. It is clear that our service to them fell far short of the standard that they – and indeed the PPS – would expect. And I also want to say, to them and all other victims of sex abuse offences, that I am committed to ensuring what happened in these cases will be not be allowed to happen again.” | McGrory issued a personal apology to the three people at the centre of the controversy. He said: “I want to take this opportunity to express as director of public prosecutions a sincere apology to the three victims in these cases. It is clear that our service to them fell far short of the standard that they – and indeed the PPS – would expect. And I also want to say, to them and all other victims of sex abuse offences, that I am committed to ensuring what happened in these cases will be not be allowed to happen again.” |
| Cahill alleged on BBC Northern Ireland’s Spotlight programme last year that an IRA member raped her when she was a teenager. She claimed four members of the IRA then covered up the alleged abuse. | Cahill alleged on BBC Northern Ireland’s Spotlight programme last year that an IRA member raped her when she was a teenager. She claimed four members of the IRA then covered up the alleged abuse. |
| Three separate trials later collapsed after she and two other alleged victims withdrew their evidence. The five people accused by Cahill were then acquitted of all charges against them. | Three separate trials later collapsed after she and two other alleged victims withdrew their evidence. The five people accused by Cahill were then acquitted of all charges against them. |
| Related: 'Second IRA rape victim' accuses Sinn Féin of abuse cover-up | Related: 'Second IRA rape victim' accuses Sinn Féin of abuse cover-up |
| In October last year, the DPP in the region called in Starmer to lead an investigation into why the cases collapsed. | In October last year, the DPP in the region called in Starmer to lead an investigation into why the cases collapsed. |
| Cahill’s public allegations of a culture of cover-up within the IRA in relation to sex abuse have prompted others who had similar experiences to speak out. Paudie McGahon, who lives in the Irish Republic, later went public claiming he had been raped by another Belfast IRA member and that the organisation imposed a code of silence upon him when he raised the allegations. | Cahill’s public allegations of a culture of cover-up within the IRA in relation to sex abuse have prompted others who had similar experiences to speak out. Paudie McGahon, who lives in the Irish Republic, later went public claiming he had been raped by another Belfast IRA member and that the organisation imposed a code of silence upon him when he raised the allegations. |