PROSECUTORS probing the Muckamore Abbey Hospital abuse scandal have written to families for the first time to say they have received a police file on seven members of staff in what is a "very serious case".
Correspondence sent by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) to relatives of patients also notes the "great distress and anxiety" caused since the massive PSNI investigation into allegations into mistreatment of their loved ones began almost three years ago.
The letter, seen by The Irish News, was sent earlier this week and confirms senior PPS staff have been appointed to examine a file relating to a six-bedded Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the Co Antrim facility.
The ward is at the centre of the police case - which is the biggest of its kind in Northern Ireland - and concerns 1,500 suspected crimes relating to alleged physical abuse and mental cruelty of vulnerable patients.
A PPS official at assistant director level, Martin Hardy, writes: "May I express my sincere sympathy to you and your family on the alleged incidents at Muckamore Abbey Hospital...I am sure that the events which have led to a police investigation have caused you all great distress and anxiety. I hope that this letter will not cause further upset.
"...I understand this PSNI investigation has been detailed and complex and is not yet fully complete.
"However, police have reached the stage of being ready to submit a first file to the PPS which relates to seven members of staff."
Mr Hardy adds: "As you will appreciate, this is a very serious case, requiring very careful consideration before a final decision can be taken. We will be working closely with investigating police to progress the case as expeditiously as possible."
The Irish News understands that the PICU file is so "extensive" that it could not be sent electronically and was instead delivered by van.
More than 300,000 hours of CCTV footage from the unit and three other wards at the hospital for adults with severe learning disabilities have been examined by a specialist team of detectives for over a year.
The alleged incidents cover a six-month period between April and September 2017.
Dundonald man Glynn Brown, who alerted authorities in August 2017 after learning his non-verbal son, Aaron, was reportedly assaulted, said the PPS correspondence was a "welcome boost".
"It shows how seriously they are taking the investigation and that it has moved to the next stage," he said.
"But myself and the other families affected will continue to campaign for a public inquiry as we still want answers and accountability."
Solicitor Claire McKeegan of Phoenix Law, who is representing Muckamore families, described the PPS development as an "important milestone" and said the appointment of senior officials to oversee the case highlighted its priority.
