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IRA membership case against two men collapses

Padraic Wilson leaves Laganside Court in Belfast after the prosecution case against him and Sean Hughes collapsed. They were both charged with IRA membership. Picture by: Alan Lewis
Padraic Wilson leaves Laganside Court in Belfast after the prosecution case against him and Sean Hughes collapsed. They were both charged with IRA membership. Picture by: Alan Lewis Padraic Wilson leaves Laganside Court in Belfast after the prosecution case against him and Sean Hughes collapsed. They were both charged with IRA membership. Picture by: Alan Lewis

THE case against two high-profile republicans accused of IRA membership dramatically collapsed yesterday after key witnesses withdrew their evidence.

The prosecution offered no evidence against 52-year-old Sean Hughes and 55-year-old Padraic Wilson.

The judge then acquitted both.

In a statement released after the hearing, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said principal witnesses had withdrawn their evidence.

The case centred on an alleged internal IRA investigation after the murder of father-of-two Robert McCartney in January 2005.

Hughes (52), of Aghadavoyle Road, Jonesborough, Co Armagh, and Wilson (55), of Hamill Park, Andersonstown, west Belfast, had pleaded not guilty to charges of IRA membership and addressing meetings to encourage support for the IRA.

The meetings were alleged to have been linked to an internal IRA investigation into the murder of Mr McCartney, who was stabbed outside a Belfast bar.

Neither Wilson nor Hughes appeared in the dock of Belfast Crown Court for the brief hearing yesterday although both were present in the court building.

Addressing Judge Stephen Fowler QC, Crown counsel Ciaran Murphy QC said: "In the case of Wilson and Hughes, the prosecution will not be offering any evidence.''

Wilson and Hughes's lawyers separately asked the court to acquit their clients.

Judge Fowler QC told the court: "As the prosecution are offering any evidence I direct the acquittal of both defendants.''

He added that a reporting restriction would remain in place until he had "time to reflect'' on letters which had been handed into court.

Witnesses had expressed concerns that they could be identified if the restriction was lifted.

A spokeswoman for the PPS later said the case had been ready to go to a full trial on June 8, but that the main witnesses had pulled out.

She said during a series of meetings with the PPS one witness "expressed concerns in relation to a decision not to prosecute in a related case and also the selection of charges in this case".

She said the PPS explained the prosecution's decisions but were restricted in what they could tell the witnesses because the case was on-going.

Now the case has collapsed, the PPS can give the witnesses more information.

"We are satisfied that the test for prosecution was met in respect of the offences charged but not in respect of other offences to which consideration was given," she said.

"This case was ready to proceed to full trial on 8 June 2015 and has not been subject to any undue delay in the preparation of the prosecution case. In these circumstances it is disappointing that the witnesses have withdrawn, but we respect their decision to do so."

The collapse of the case is the second major embarrassment for the PPS in the last two weeks.

A damning report by the former Director of Public Prosecutions in England and Wales, Sir Keir Starmer, found that the north's PPS had let down three alleged victims of rape and an IRA cover-up.

The alleged victims included Máiría Cahill and two other women.

Ms Cahill claimed a senior IRA figure in west Belfast raped her as a teenager and she was later subjected to a 'kangaroo court' by republicans.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Barra McGrory QC, apologised to the three women following the publication of the report last month.

DUP MLA Edwin Poots last night claimed the public is losing confidence in the "bungling" PPS.

"People are rightly concerned that the PPS can so consistently fail to deliver. What confidence can anyone have in this organisation? Where is the leadership?" he said.