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Ahead
of the trial due in Belfast on Thursday 6th May, the
defence team for a Tyrone man arrested along with
3 others at the scene of an alleged RPG22 rocket launcher
find near Coalisland in February 2002 are convinced
that forensic evidence has been interfered with.
There
are apparently two instances which are of cause for
concern; firstly photographs of the scene are purporting
to show that strict forensic guidelines were ignored.
Rather than showing the scene of the event along with
items in situ, they clearly prove that the items have
been removed from the scene, bagged and only later
photographed. Secondly the defence counsel are alleging
that officers in the case are attempting to remove
all links between the accused Kevin Murphy and missing
Armagh man Gareth O'Connor. Murphy along with others
are asking for a thorough independent investigation
into the possibility that O'Connor was acting as a
state agent and led them to their arrest in dubious
circumstances.
The
allegation of tampered evidence is a mirror image
of the Martin Brogan and Mark Carroll incident, 2
County Down men who were released this year after
it was proved in court that not only were forensic
procedures ignored but British Army personnel had
intentionally planted evidence in order to secure
convictions and cover up the role of an informer who
was later spirited out of the country. Another man,
Seamus Doherty from Derry was also implicated in the
same operation and is likewise protesting his innocence.
IRPWA
spokesperson Martin Mulholland stated that "what
we are seeing here is quite obviously a trend"
he went on that "the comparison between the Brogan
and Carroll case, and that of the Tyrone four is startling
and can only lead us to the conclusion that this is
a systemic, institutionalised conspiracy on behalf
of the state to put innocent people behind bars".
He finished by saying that it was with some irony
that "Sinn Fein have for some reason remained
tight lipped in all of these affairs even though they
are happening on their own doorstep - yet they feel
it necessary for Catriona Ruane to travel half way
round the globe to prove the innocence of the Columbia
3".
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