A CONVICTION against Sinn Féin’s former director of publicity Danny Morrison of falsely imprisoning an IRA informer in 1990 was yesterday quashed by the Court of Appeal in Belfast.
Convictions against seven others, including a man and woman who pleaded guilty at the time, relating to the abduction and imprisoning of Alexander “Sandy” Lynch, were also overturned.
The clearing of the eight was based on confidential information that was supplied to the court by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which investigates suspected miscarriages of justice.
Lawyers for Morrison and the other seven have not seen this information. Lord Chief Justice Sir Brian Kerr indicated his willingness to set out the information.
“There’s nothing in the papers that intrinsically militates against the delivery of an open judgment,” he said.
However, lawyers for the Director of Public Prosecutions in the North said they would be opposing any such disclosure. The court is expected to rule on the matter in the next three weeks.
The judgment has the potential to trigger a raft of such appeals against convictions that involved informers. This, however, could pose something of a dilemma for republicans as it might also reveal the extent to which the IRA was infiltrated by informers.
Solicitor Kevin Winters, who represented Morrison and a number of those involved, said it was an unprecedented case.
“The background and the result today could affect many other people who have been through the courts . . . ,” he added.
