Lawyers accuse RUC of intimidation
Lawyers for Lurgan man Collie Duffy are accusing the RUC of being
involved in a campaign of intimidation against people who have
come forward to offer alibi evidence in Duffy's favour.
The lawyers say they have had to register three separate formal
complaints against senior RUC officers who interferred with their
attempts to represent Duffy who is charged with the killings of
two RUC men in the County Armagh town in June of this year.
According to the lawyers a number of students who came forward to
make statements supporting Duffy's case a senior RUC officer
actively discouraged the young people by telling them they would
have to give their witness statements on both video and audio
tape.
``Young people don't want to appear on video giving evidence'',
said the lawyers, ``they feel vulnerable and under scrutiny
themselves, it is a pressure they don't want''.
As well the students and a solicitor were left sitting in the RUC
barracks at the time because the RUC said no one was available to
deal with them the RUC, ``was overstretched'' they were told.
d in a separate incident RUC detectives involved in the Duffy
case telephoned a local man and said they knew he was in Church
Walk at the time of the June killings. When the man denied this
the RUC member insisted that he was in Church Walk and told him,
``you were seen''. However when the man refused to be intimidated
the RUC asked him if ``he knew Collie Duffy and offered to speak
to him'off the record'.
``Not only are the RUC trying to intimidate witnesses'', said
Duffy's legal team, ``they are intent on building a false case, it
won't work''.
Meanwhile British Labour MP Chris Mullin has criticised the RUC
handling of the Duffy case. In a letter to Mo Mowlam, he wrote:
``When this case collapses - as I have no doubt it will - it will
provide you with the opportunity for a root and branch shake-up
of a system which...resolutely declines to learn any lessons and
appears to a large extent to be rotten.''