PSNI apologises to two Phoenix Law solicitors
Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Jon Boutcher has issued a personal apology to two prominent human-rights solicitors.
The apology to Peter Corrigan and Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law came after a review found that the two were the subject of unlawful surveillance by the police.
The found today (24 September) that the surveillance trespassed upon legal professional privilege.
Angus McCullough KC had been asked to conduct an independent review of the PSNI’s conduct in relation to covert measures against journalists, lawyers, and others of ‘special status’ between 2011 and 2024.
‘Oversized role’ of surveillance
A statement from the two solicitors said that they had represented people from all walks of life and from all sides of the community in the North, adding that each client was entitled to the very basic protections under the rule of law, which included the principle of legal professional privilege.
“Today confirms that those who are tasked with administering the law have broken the law. In doing so they have had zero regard for our clients’ rights, driven by the sole motivation of a ‘win at whatever cost’ approach,” they stated.
Mackin and Corrigan said that surveillance had continued to play “an oversized role” in the relationship between the state and the private citizen in the Noth.
'Craigavon 2' case
Phoenix Law says that the review’s findings were linked to the appeal proceedings of R v McConville & Wooton, known as the ‘Craigavon 2’ case.
The solicitors say they will now bring the issue to the attention of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which is adjudicating on the Craigavon 2 case, in which two men were convicted of the murder in 2009 of a police officer.
Overall, the review found “no evidence of systemic or widespread use of covert measures” by the PSNI against the categories of people covered by the report.
McCullough was critical, however, of particular instances and some areas of practice, and made a series of recommendations aimed at addressing these deficiencies.