June 1979: Safeguards for Interrogations
In June 1979, Joe Clark was sworn in as the youngest Prime Minister in Canadian history. Elections were popular at this time of year, it seemed, as there were also moves being made in the European Parliament.
Political Developments in June 1979
May began with the European Parliament Elections on the 7th. This was the first election to the European Parliament. Northern Ireland was treated as a single constituency, with three seats being contested by 13 candidates. The election was by Proportional Representation using the Single Transferable Vote system, while the rest of the United Kingdom continued to use the 'first past the post' system. DUP leader Ian Paisley topped the poll with 29.8 per cent of the first preference votes and was elected on the first count. Deputy leader of the SDLP, John Hume, got 24.6 per cent of the vote and narrowly missed the quota but was elected on the third count. The UUP’s John Taylor got 11.9 per cent of the first preference vote and was elected on the sixth count.
On the 22nd, there was a press release from the Police Authority of Northern Ireland on interrogation techniques. The content was as follows;
PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
At the time of publication of the Bennett Report into the procedures for interrogation of persons suspected of scheduled offences, there was considerable public concern over allegations of ill-treatment of suspects by the RUC.
The Police Authority in expressing their own concern indicated that they would be conducting a series of meetings with relevant bodies including political parties about the contents of the Report. These meetings have taken place and have included consultations with the doctors whom the Authority employ to examine persons in police custody at police stations or police offices. The doctors have recently been asked to let the Authority have copies of all reports on medical examinations carried out since May 1978 where the examination resulted in significant findings tending to support allegations by the prisoner of ill-treatment.
As a result, the Authority have received from their doctors a total of 8 cases covering this period of over 13 months, in regard to persons who had been interrogated by the RUC because they were suspected of scheduled offences involving terrorist activity; in each case, the prisoner alleged ill-treatment and the medical evidence tended to support the allegations. Standard procedures providing for investigation by the Chief Constable and for subsequent consideration by the Director of Public Prosecutions had already been initiated in each of these 8 cases. In four (4) of the cases, the alleged ill-treatment was claimed to have happened at Castlereagh police office.
The aim of the Authority in this area of activity is to see that safeguards operate to eliminate as far as possible cause for justified complaint by even one prisoner. However, these statistics, based as they are on a specific survey of the reports submitted in individual cases by doctors during this period, help to place in perspective the generalised allegations so freely made from time to time against the RUC. The Authority, therefore, in exercise of their statutory responsibilities and as a public watchdog for all the people in Northern Ireland, publish these statistics for the record. Further, the Authority consider that the facts indicate that complaints against the RUC which may have substance have been relatively very few indeed in regard to persons interrogated as terrorist suspects and certainly do not warrant criticism on a scale to which the police have been subjected in recent times on this issue.
The doctors also reported on other cases of possible ill-treatment where the persons were suspected not of involvement in terrorism but of ordinary criminal offences, including burglary, etc, and these are likewise being investigated by the Chief Constable. The Authority are concerned about any complaint against the RUC that tends to be supported by medical evidence, and their Complaints Committee will follow up all these type cases with equal vigour.
The Authority have now completed their consultations in regard to the contents of the Bennett Report, and they have made a formal submission of their views to the Secretary of State. In particular, the Authority have supported the recommendations made in the Report for further safeguards to be introduced into the interrogation process.
Shootings in June 1979
June 2nd.
Off-duty RUC officer (Alan Dunne, 36) and a former UDR soldier (David Stinson, 32) were shot dead outside Officer Dunne's home in Baillinahoe Crescent, Armagh. The INLA claimed responsibility.
June 6th.
UDR soldier Alexander Gore (23) was shot dead in an IRA attack on a British Army base on the Malone Road in Belfast.
June 9th.
Official IRA volunteer Joseph McKee (33) was shot dead by the UDA whilst in a shop on Castle Street, Belfast.
IRA volunteer Pear McElvanna (24) was shot during a gun battle between the IRA and the British Army in Keady, County Armagh.
June 18th.
An INLA unit fired on an RUC vehicle patrol as it passed at the junction of Cullingtree Road and Albert Street in the Divis Flats area, Belfast.
June 19th.
UDR soldier John Hannigan (34) was shot dead by the IRA in Omagh, County Tyrone.
June 20th.
Francis Sullivan (36), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead at his home in the Falls Road area of Belfast by Loyalist paramilitaries.
June 22nd.
RUC officer John Scott (49) was shot dead while delivering milk by the IRA near Coagh, County Tyrone.
June 24th.
Off-duty UDR soldier Joseph Porter (63) was shot dead by the IRA while at his home in Markethill, County Armagh.
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Bombings in June 1979
June 3rd.
RUC officers Stanley Hannah (47) and Kevin Thompson (22), were killed when the IRA detonated a bomb underneath their patrol vehicle near Crossmaglen, County Armagh.
June 1st-8th.
A number of letter bombs were sent to parts of Birmingham, injuring four postal workers in separate incidents, in the first week of June.
June 25th.
A bombing believed to have been carried out by the IRA narrowly missed NATO Supreme Commander Alexander Haig as he travelled outside Brussels in Belgium. It is believed the intended target was a British General attached to NATO.
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I’ve also recently released Tales of The Troubles: Volume 1. The Early Years - 1960s. Check it out. It would be a great addition to your library or a gift for someone for Christmas. Stay tuned for Volume 2, covering the 1970s.
If you’d like to let me know what you think of today’s instalment, please comment below.
Some recommended reading based on research for this instalment.
Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children Who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles by David McKittrick, Chris Thornton, Seamus Kelters and Brian Feeney.
