Latest news with #inquiry
Irish Times
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
Omagh bombing inquiry: bereaved families' long-standing quest for truth collides with reality
For those bereaved and injured in the August 1998 Omagh bombing , the inquiry into the atrocity brought hope that, finally, they might get answers. Could the UK authorities have prevented the bombing by Real IRA dissidents that killed 29 people including a woman who was pregnant with twins on a sunny Saturday afternoon? This week, that hope collided with reality. Over two days of opening statements, the inquiry heard from the UK government and Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on the logistical challenges they faced in providing documents and exhibits to the inquiry. READ MORE The slow pace of disclosure has led to an 'unfortunate' gap of nine months, as lawyer to the inquiry, Paul Greaney KC, put it; the inquiry cannot now begin considering the bombing itself until March 2026, almost two years after it opened. Michael Mansfield KC, representing the family of one of the victims, 57-year-old mother of three Libby Rush, cut to the chase. 'It cannot be said that government departments were not on notice,' he said. 'Once this happened on the 15th August, 1998, are we to imagine that state authorities didn't immediately have meetings ... which should have ensured the preservation [of materials] – not 'Oh, we only got notice yesterday'.' In fairness, the task facing them is not inconsiderable. The PSNI has so far made ready 26,000 documents and 2,000 exhibits and reassigned staff. This is a body that is so pushed for resources that earlier this month 24 police officers were reallocated from tackling domestic violence and sexual abuse to deal with public disorder. [ The stories of the Omagh bomb victims Opens in new window ] Both its barrister and that representing the UK government repeatedly stressed their commitment to assisting the inquiry. None of their explanations, Philip Henry KC said for the PSNI, were an excuse but rather 'a candid explanation of what is involved, so that expectations are realistic'. Yet the difficulties continued. It emerged that a document said to be missing, then destroyed, was subsequently found. The inquiry chairman, Lord Turnbull, echoed families' concerns 'over statements made by state bodies about apparent inability to locate relevant documents' and warned any such assertions would be subject to 'the most rigorous scrutiny'. Lord Turnbull. Photograph: Northern Ireland Office/PA Wire There were concerns, too, around sensitive material and how this will be approached, particularly given the relevance of intelligence, including warnings said to have been passed on by an alleged British agent, to the answers the inquiry is seeking. Last month it emerged a 'considerable body of material' had not been shared with the inquiry because of applications by the UK government and the PSNI to redact information. This, said barrister Stephen Toal KC, representing the families of five of those killed, 'speaks to a defensive instinct, not a transparent one.' Just ask the family of Seán Brown. The GAA official was abducted and murdered by loyalists in Bellaghy, Co Derry, in 1997, the year before the Omagh bombing. The UK government is currently challenging a court ruling that it must hold a public inquiry into his killing. That the Omagh investigation is happening at all is the result of decades of campaigns and courtroom battles, not least by Michael Gallagher, whose 21-year-old son, Aiden, was among the victims. He brought the judicial review which resulted in the High Court judgment ordering the UK government to set up the inquiry. [ Omagh inquiry: Father of victim describes toll taken by years of campaigning for justice Opens in new window ] That same judge also recommended a similar inquiry south of the Border. The Irish Government was repeatedly criticised this week for failing to do so, though Lord Turnbull said he took the repeated assurances he had received about Dublin's commitment to assisting the inquiry 'in good faith'. Alan Kane KC quoted the future taoiseach Enda Kenny in the Dáil in 2004: 'You will get your truth, and so will Ireland.' 'Talk is cheap,' said Toal of both governments. 'They make warm statements about solidarity, but these families have learned to measure words against deeds.' As Lord Turnbull observed, some of those listening to the proceedings 'may have been thinking to themselves that if the various secretaries of state and other ministers involved had not so staunchly set their face against a public inquiry over the very many years and very many times that such requests were made, the problems now being grappled with would not be so acute.' Yet, he said: 'We are where we are.' Where we are is that the legacy of the North's Troubles still has not been dealt with, and the Omagh inquiry goes to the heart of one of its enduring tensions, the interests of national security versus the rights of individuals to life, to justice and to truth. The bereaved and injured have already suffered through decades of delay, obstruction and denial, broken promises, frustration heaped on devastation, and it is clear this inquiry will be a lengthy and complex one. States will always seek to protect their secrets, but a way must be found to balance these interests with the 'moral imperative', as one family barrister put it, to provide the answers which have been so desperately sought by so many, for so long. This is the reality; ultimately the hope, said Michael Mansfield, representing the Rush family, is that 'this public inquiry represents the beginning of the end of the story of the Omagh bombing'.
ABC News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Tensions flare as NSW premier's staffers grilled at hoax terror plot inquiry
Five New South Wales political staffers began giving evidence at the parliamentary inquiry on Friday morning.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Foreign Office faces inquiry over its handling of Harry Dunn case
The family of Harry Dunn, the motorcyclist killed in a crash outside a US military base in the UK, said an inquiry into how the Foreign Office (FO) handled the case would start within 19-year-old's bike was hit by a car being driven on the wrong side of the road by Anne Sacoolas at RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire in left the country after the incident, with the US claiming she had diplomatic immunity from Dunn's mother Charlotte Charles has described the review as a "welcome step". The family has repeatedly criticised the way the case was dealt with by both the US and UK Charles said: "We hope this inquiry will be a genuine, independent search for truth, not just for our sake, but to ensure that no other family ever has to endure what we did."No bereaved family should ever be treated the way we were." Sacoolas pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving in 2022 and was handed an eight-month suspended jail UK government allowed her to leave the country after the incident and, in the family's view, gave inappropriate advice on the issue of Charles said the UK government at the time was rude, "brutal" and failed to engage with of the family said they met officials at the FO on Wednesday and were told an inquiry would be chaired by former chief inspector of prisons Dame Anne is understood the review will not consider the involvement of the US government or any issues covered in previous court hearings. The announcement of the review comes just over a week after an independent report criticised Northamptonshire Police for their handling of the investigation. It said that, while Sacoolas was in a state of shock, she "could and should have been arrested" after the Police has apologised, saying it failed "to do the very best for the victim".The Foreign Office has so far declined to comment. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Merchiston private school protected abusers for decades
A boys-only private school has been criticised for a culture which involved "dreadful abuse'' of children almost continuously for six decades. The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry report into Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh found that from the 1950s to the second decade of the 21st century, there was a "more or less continuous line of indecency" from two named chairwoman Lady Smith concluded leadership of the school in this period was weak and child protection concerns were school has offered a sincere and unreserved apology to all former pupils who suffered. Lady Smith's findings on the provision of residential care at the Edinburgh boarding school revealed one of the "prolific abusers", former pupil and teacher James Rainy Brown, took his own life after learning of a police investigation into his conduct. The other, Mervyn Preston, had taught Rainy Brown as a pupil and the pair's abuse became "normalised for generations of boys", Lady Smith branded a total of eight teachers as "abusers".Lady Smith said that "by the early 2000s, Merchiston thought itself a leader in the child protection field" but in reality "references were badly handled and child protection concerns ignored", while voyeurism and indecent assaults were added: "Abusers, and potential abusers, were sometimes protected by tradition, long service, or governor loyalty."The findings, part of the inquiry's overall boarding schools case study, found that "in common with Loretto School, Morrison's Academy, Gordonstoun, and Queen Victoria School, children who boarded at Merchiston were exposed to risks of suffering sexual, physical and emotional abuse". Lady Smith concluded the two main perpetrators at Merchiston were "virtually untouchable".Lady Smith said: "From the 1950s to the second decade of the 21st century, there was a more or less continuous line of consistent indecency perpetrated by two prolific abusers, Mervyn Preston and James Rainy Brown."The former taught the latter, who then returned to Merchiston as a teacher, after which they worked together."They engaged in abusive behaviour which became normalised for generations of boys."In the cases of both those men, their longstanding service and positions of power in boarding houses rendered them virtually untouchable." 'Sincere and unreserved apology' Following a poor inspection report in 2015, Merchiston was made subject to special measures by the Scottish was obliged to respond, and Lady Smith said it was "well led by its board of governors" and policies "were corrected and became meaningful".Merchiston Castle School has issued an "unreserved apology".Headmaster Jonathan Anderson and Gareth Baird, chairman of the board of governors, said in a statement Lady Smith's report is "detailed, fair and, at times, a difficult read". It added: "It uncovers a history of unacceptable abuse suffered by many former pupils and highlights the enduring impact on their lives decades later."To all those who suffered abuse while in the care of Merchiston Castle School, we offer our most sincere and unreserved apology. "No child should ever suffer harm, especially not in a place that exists to nurture and educate. Those who were abused by their teachers or their fellow pupils deserved better, and we are truly sorry that they were so badly let down."The statement added the school is "wholeheartedly committed to ensuring the lessons of the past are fully learned".
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Dangerous': Premier slams arrest threat
NSW Premier Chris Minns has slammed the threat of arrest for five political staffers as a 'dangerous precedent' after he refused to front an inquiry into the Dural caravan bomb plot. Five staffers for Mr Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley risked the possibility that a warrant would be issued for their arrest after they failed to attend the third hearing of the inquiry last Friday into the relationship between the caravan plot in Sydney's northwest and the passing of strict anti-hate laws. Independent MLC and inquiry chairman Rod Roberts confirmed the staffers had since agreed to attend a special hearing of the committee on Friday during an interview with 2GB's Ben Fordham on Wednesday morning. 'As a result of the (Legislative Council) president Ben Franklin seeking legal advice from Bret Walker, one of the eminent silks in relation to constitutional law, he has ruled that the Legislative Council is in their rights … to seek arrest warrants for these people that didn't comply with the summonses,' he said. 'But, the government has capitulated now overnight (and) waved the white flag and we're going to make arrangements for a committee hearing on Friday for these five to attend.' Mr Roberts said he had received an 'undertaking' from the five staffers that they would attend the inquiry 'at this stage'. He described it is a 'very big backdown' from Mr Minns and that it was 'unprecedented that a Premier would take it to that level'. 'I don't know where he got his advice from – his legal advice – but, it's been reaffirmed by the leading constitutional lawyer in Australia that we are within our rights,' Mr Roberts said. Asked about the reversal, Mr Minns said he was 'disappointed about the circumstances' that led to his staff being summoned. 'Don't take my word for it. Listen to the chair of the committee who said the reason they're being called in is because I won't appear before the committee. 'So, in a punitive way, pulling in staffers to this upper house inquiry. 'I think that the very troubling information that staff would be arrested and held potentially overnight via police custody is a massive overreach.' Mr Minns said staff would 'make up their own minds' about whether to attend, and he was offering them support as their employer. He went on to slam the committee as 'unleashing extraordinary powers of police or the courts' on what was 'close to a kangaroo court'. 'That's a breach or a step that no one has taken in the parliament's history, and there's very good reason for that,' he said. 'Does anyone truly believe that the members of that committee, given everything that they've said prior to the committee's opening hearing, are going to be soberly assessing the information before them and making a non-political decision? 'I think they've already shown inherent bias in their approach to all of these inquiries, and they don't follow due process. 'So, I think it's a dangerous precedent for the state, but at the end of the day, we are where we are.' Mr Minns went on to accuse the committee of pushing the 'common understanding' that all anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney were related to the Dural caravan plot. Appearing later on 2GB, Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said he was 'glad' about the reversal. 'It shouldn't have come to this,' he said. 'There shouldn't have been the threat of warrants and arrests, but this is a premier and a government (that) think they're above the law. 'Just imagine if witnesses subpoenaed to court gave the bird sign to the court.' After receiving a letter on Friday afternoon regarding the staffers, Mr Franklin instructed the clerk to seek legal advice. 'This morning, I have met with Mr Brent Walker SC who has given me the benefit of his verbal advice on the matter,' he said on Tuesday. 'On the receipt of his advice in written form, I intend to table it in the House given the significance of this issue. 'In the meantime, I am considering his advice and its implications, as I tend to make a statement to the House later this week on my intended action.' The inquiry was established to determine who not what and when about the explosives-laden caravan, which police later claimed was not a terrorism plot and instead part of a criminal conspiracy. It has so far heard evidence from leading figures in NSW Police as well as government staff.
