NORTHERN Ireland's director of public prosecutions has issued an apology to three woman for its handling of allegations of rape and claims of an IRA cover-up.
Barra McGrory was speaking after a damning report criticised how his department handled the case against republican Martin Morris.
Sir Keir Starmer carried out the review after being called in by Mr McGrory following the collapse of three connected trials.
They included two separate cases against Morris, one for alleged sex abuse of Máiría Cahill and two other victims and one for IRA membership.
Ms Cahill waived her right to anonymity in a BBC Spotlight programme aired last year.
The trial of four others Padraic Wilson, Seamus Finucane, Briege Wright and Agnes McCrory - all of whom have strongly denied any wrongdoing - never got to trial after all three witnesses withdrew their evidence. They had faced IRA membership charges.
They were found not guilty of all charges.
The alleged abuse happened between 1997 and 2000 when all the women were children. They made statements to police in 2010.
Sir Keir found that the PPS and prosecuting counsel had "let the women down" adding that a series of errors made it "almost inevitable" that the women would pull out of the process.
Mr McGrory 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.
"The case was misread in that it was treated as two separate cases, a membership case on one hand and a sex abuse case on the other.
"One would have thought they be interlinked at a very early stage but it was misread from the beginning, a wrong path was taken and my big regret is that people within the PPS who ought to have had oversight of the case weren't as involved as they should have been.
"Once the wrong path was taken it seemed to be difficult to get it off.
"As I read it the context in which the sex abuse occurred and the delay in coming forward with it on Maíría's part was obviously in the context of the world in which she lived and the circumstances.
"It should have been obvious that was part and parcel of the narrative", Mr McGrory added.
He said he was committed to ensuring the mistakes made would not be allowed to happen again.
Mr McGrory said he accepted "without reservation" the 10 recommendations made by Sir Keir.
Ms Cahill (33) claimed republican paramilitaries conducted their own inquiry and subjected her to interrogation before forcing her to confront her alleged attacker.
Responding to the report's finding the west Belfast woman said she felt "vindicated".
"The apology is welcome but it's pretty upsetting you end up in this situation," Ms Cahill said.
"I met with Barra before I came here and I accept he is genuine in his apology.
"I get no satisfaction but a great degree of relief from it".
Ms Cahill, said she cried when she met Sir Keir and Mr McGrory yesterday to discuss the findings.
"My credibility has been called into question, people have said I wasn't prepared to give evidence in a court of law, that the not guilty verdicts somehow presented some sort of reasoning or attack on my credibility and I think this report completely vindicates my position," Ms Cahill said.
Sinn Féin's handling of sex abuse by republicans was called into questions following allegations by Ms Cahill that party members conspired to cover up her abuse.
Assembly member Raymond McCartney yesterday welcomed the findings saying; "It is the sole responsibility of the police to investigate reports of crime and it is the responsibility of the PPS to prosecute in cases of abuse.
"We welcome any recommendations that will support victims of abuse through the legal system and ensure justice.
SDLP MLA Alex Attwood said the report was a "full vindication of Ms Cahill.
"Keir Starmer states unambiguously that 'significant failings” made it “almost inevitable” that Máiría Cahill and others would pull out of their cases.
"Máiría Cahill has demonstrated again and again that she will challenge anyone and any organisation when it comes to the truth of abuse.
"The Prosecution Service must now definitively respond and address the Starmer conclusions in order to ensure that confidence can be deepened for all victims," he added.
Ulster Unionist Party leader Mike Nesbitt called on Mr McGrory to consider his position following the report.
"It is highly regrettable that the system has once again failed the victim.
"The buck stops with Barra McGrory and he should consider his position."
