PSNI’s politically-motivated attack on victims fails

The PSNI are being urged to apologise to members of the Bloody Sunday families and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood after prosecutors threw out a claim they had broken the law while walking together to a court hearing last year.

Family members of the victims of the Bloody Sunday massacre and Mr Eastwood all faced charges they had breached parades legislation on foot of an absurd complaint by loyalist extremist Jamie Bryson.

The public prosecutor said the decision to throw out the case was taken on public interest grounds, including that the walking involved a relatively small number of people and was short in duration; was peaceful and caused no public disorder, or any apparent risk of public disorder, and no need for the deployment of any policing resource; caused no harm or damage occurred and resulted in minimal disruption or inconvenience caused to traffic or the general public.

The PPS said no complaints were made by any members of the local community and there was no other evidence of any negative community impact.

Mr. Eastwood said: “The people of Derry have been standing with the Bloody Sunday families for over 50 years and nothing will ever change that.

“The PPS decision today is the right one. Families who walked to court together and were joined by their representatives should not have been put through this ordeal on top of 50 years of injustice. I am glad that common sense has at last prevailed.”

Tony Doherty, Chair of the Bloody Sunday Trust, said: “This is clearly the right decision, after what was equally clearly a wrong decision to launch this misguided prosecution in the first place.”

Ciarán Shiels of Madden and Finucane Solicitors, who represents the victims involved, said it was a victory for common sense.

“This was a matter that never should have troubled the PPS, who have genuine and serious criminal cases that require to be progressed through the courts. This case could not possibly have passed the ‘interests of justice’ limb of the well-known legal test for prosecution. The decision taken by the PPS this morning was the only sensible and rational decision that could be taken in the circumstances.

“However, in stark contrast, the PSNI, at the highest level, have extremely serious questions to answer.

“The attempted prosecution of the Bloody Sunday victims was initiated by the convicted criminal Jamie Bryson. He was not present in Derry on 25th August 2023. He could not have been inconvenienced or intimidated in any way by the dignified journey of the Bloody Sunday victims to the local Courthouse. No one was.

“The preposterousness of Mr Bryson’s proposal for the prosecution of the Families and Wounded is underscored by the fact that the complainant himself was, found guilty of the criminal offence of taking part in unnotified processions and obstructing traffic in 2015, for which he received a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for two years at Belfast Magistrates Court. These offences took place during incidents connected to the loyalist flag protests which were prevalent at that time. In addition to the foregoing, Mr Bryson has also been on bail for a considerable period of time and awaits trial as a defendant in our Crown Courts for an offence of criminal conspiracy alleged to have been committed by him over a three-week period in 2015.

“Notwithstanding this, the complainant has a relationship with the PSNI that provides him with ready and direct access to a police officer holding the rank of Assistant Chief Constable. Mr Bryson saw fit to publicly disclose on social media, the fact that he made this criminal complaint to ACC Robert Singelton immediately after providing his statement to him.

“However, far from warning Mr Bryson to immediately desist from wasting valuable police time, the PSNI at this senior level directed this plainly spurious complaint be investigated. This decision was taken knowing full well that genuine victims of State violence, all of pensionable age, would endure for months (including over the Christmas period) the very real possibility of being subjected to arrest by the PSNI and subsequent prosecution by the PPS in the criminal courts. We now intend to immediately lodge a detailed complaint on behalf of the Families and Wounded to the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.”

Michael McKinney, one of the brothers of William McKinney, whose alleged murderer Soldier F is to stand trial for his role in the Bloody Sunday massacre, added:

“Jamie Bryson has no genuine interest in the events of Bloody Sunday. He is motivated by self-interest, publicity stunts and an overriding concern to keep himself relevant. He has been tolerated by an element within the Police Service of Northern Ireland to the point where he has been facilitated to make a hurtful and mischievous complaint against the Families who were facing one of their most difficult days in this seemingly endless prosecution.

“He has attempted to equate the activities of Loyalist bandsmen with the Bloody Sunday Families and Wounded who were walking the streets of their own city to attend court as a mark of support for the Public Prosecution Service in the prosecution of the ex-soldier who casually murdered our loved ones with impunity until now.

“I welcome the decision of the PPS. It was the only decision they could have come to. What I am angry about is the timid appeasement and then the active facilitation of this malicious complaint which has hung over us now for almost six months.

“The PSNI proudly claim to be ‘a victim-lead organisation’. I think the most Senior Officers in the PSNI need to ask themselves whether they have protected the rights and interests of victims in this instance. In relation to this case, they should be ashamed and mortified at their own actions and they owe the Bloody Sunday Families and Wounded a sincere and public apology.”

Urgent Appeal