11 May 2012

Givan Shocked By Failure Of PPS Over Price Case

Chair of the Assembly's Justice Committee Paul Givan has expressed shock that an apparent failure of the Public Prosecution Service to prepare papers in time has resulted in the case against four people including Marian Price being dropped.

Commenting the DUP MLA said: "Whilst the case against Marian Price was the most high profile in this trial there were also three other individuals charged in relation to the events at the City Cemetary in Londonderry last Easter.

"It would appear that the reason behind these cases being dismissed, particularly in the cases of the three charged alongside Price, has been a failure by the Public Prosecution Service to ensure that the relevant papers were prepared in time.

"The judge himself remarked that those three cases were relatively straightforward and it has taken less time to pepare the same documents in cases involving complicated forensic evidence. I am shocked therefore that this case has not been able to proceed because of apparent administrative slowness.

"Both the Director of the PPS and the Justice Minister must answer questions as to how a high profile case such as this can be dropped because relatively straightforward files have not been prepared."

(CD/GK)