Northern Ireland

Some of the Hooded Men to sue estates of former British ministers

The estate of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath is set to be sued by some of the 'Hooded Men'
The estate of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath is set to be sued by some of the 'Hooded Men' The estate of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath is set to be sued by some of the 'Hooded Men'

THE estate of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath is to be sued by members of a group of Catholic men who say they were tortured during internment.

Several of the 'Hooded Men' recently launched legal action against the estates of high-profile members of the British establishment.

These include former government and judiciary figures prominent at the time internment was introduced in 1971.

Fourteen men have said they were subjected to ‘five techniques’ including being hooded, made to stand in stress positions, forced to listen to loud static noise and being deprived of sleep, food and water.

In some cases they were also thrown from helicopters they were told were hundreds of feet in the air despite being just feet off the ground.

Earlier this year the European Court of Human Rights rejected an appeal by the Irish government against a ruling that they were not tortured.

In 1978 the court held their treatment was inhuman and degrading, but fell short of torture.

Hundreds of nationalists were held without charge during internment, which ran from 1971 to 1975.

Among those named on the writ is Edward Heath, who died in 2005.

It has been sent to the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation, to which he is reported to have left more than £5m in trust after his death.

Also included are the estates of former Defence Secretary Peter Carrington and Home Secretary Reginald Maudling – who were both in office when internment was introduced.

The Carrington writ has been delivered to the former minister’s son, Rubert Francis John, who succeeded his father as the 7th Baron Carrington and is a crossbench member of the House of Lords.

The estate of Peter Rawlinson, who served as attorney general in the north from 1972-74, is also listed.

A former Tory MP, he also filled the role in England and Wales between 1970 and 1974.

The estate of former Stormont Prime Minister Brian Faulkner is also a named defendant along with the Ministry of Defence and the PSNI chief constable.

Former Conservative MP Robert Alexander Lindsay, known as Lord Balniel, is also included.

Apart from the PSNI chief constable, he is the only named defendant still alive.

It is understood the men are claiming damages for personal injuries including psychiatric injuries, loss and damage sustained as a result of their treatment and detention.

In 2016 one of the Hooded Men spoke of how he thought he was going to die after being taken to a former British army base in Ballykelly in Co Derry for interrogation.

The men’s solicitor, Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law, said new documents had come to light.

"In light of the further documents uncovered, we have identified a number of those ministers who were intimately involved in both the preparation and execution of the torture techniques on the hooded men,” he said.

“As a result, we have now served each minister and their respective estates and heirs with the basis on which our clients will now seek damages."