Seeking Due Process

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Mairia Cahill with Taoiseach Enda Kenny at Government Buildings last week

Solicitor Peter Madden, who represents the four people Maíria Cahill said interrogated her after  she was raped by an IRA member when she was 16, spoke to Gavin Jennings on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland this morning.

Gavin Jennings: “Peter Madden, of Madden and Finucane Solicitors, who represents Padraic Wilson, Seamus Finucane, Briege Wright and Maura McCrory, yesterday published a letter he wrote to the Taoiseach last week, saying he’d advised his clients against any meeting. Peter Madden is on the phone now, good morning to you.”

Peter Madden: “Good morning, Gavin.”

Jennings: “Why won’t your clients meet the Taoiseach?”

Madden: “Well it seems to me, having looked at the transcript of the Dáil meeting on the 22nd of October, last Wednesday, that the Taoiseach has already made his mind up about this. And he has already stated very clearly that, and stated as fact, that my clients were members of the IRA and he doesn’t even state that as an allegation. What he said is, and I’m reading from the transcript, he said that the central issue here, a young woman who was raped and sexually abused being required by powerful people, within the IRA, to attend at a meeting and having to face her abuser. So he’s taken that as a fact when in fact this is not a fact at the moment. It is a fact but it’s a disputed fact and it’s an allegation. So, it seems to me that the Taoiseach attempting to meet people in which allegations, unproved allegations actually, to meet with him is some sort of political stunt, I would say, because the fact is that they, these people, my clients, four of my clients have been acquitted by a court on these same allegations.”

Gavin Jennings: “Maíria Cahill has been consistent in her claims for many months now. Some people, many people indeed, would argue that her consistency over a long period of time gives her great credibility. What would you say? ”

Madden: “Well I would say that her credibility could only be tested properly in a court of law. And that was, that was arranged. A trial was due to take place, in which she would make the allegations in court and she would be challenged on those allegations. Now my clients have waited four years to challenge the allegations that she’s made and she has made with great detail and, in fact, two of my clients, Maura McCrory and Briege Wright, have worked tirelessly for years on the Falls Women Centre, helping abused women and children and she has made these allegations about the, all four, including Briege Wright and Maura McCrory – they are untested and, it seems to me that, the Taoiseach can not conduct any sort of inquiry into this affair at all. It’s a matter for the courts. The courts in the North here has the same system, in the North, it’s practically the same system in the North as it is in the South, I practice in both jurisdictions in criminal law and it’s very, very similar.”

Jennings: “There was a four-year wait as you said before the case went to court, after concerns about the prosecution’s case. Maíria Cahill withdrew her support for the prosecution and there were clearly concerns about the prosecution because it’s now being reviewed by a leading human rights barrister.”

Madden: “Yes but there’s concerns about the prosecution. I’ve got concerns about the prosecution. I haven’t got concerns about the prosecutor, I’ve got concerns about some parts of the prosecution. But let me just ask you a question, I don’t know if you’re aware of it or not but, were you aware that Maíria Cahill wrote a letter to the IRA Army Council?”

Jennings: “It’s not a question that I can answer I’m afraid, Peter Madden.”

Madden: “I mean, I don’t think you would be aware of it because you wouldn’t have heard about it on Spotlight, BBC’s Spotlight and you wouldn’t have heard about it, you wouldn’t have seen it in the Sunday papers. But it is a fact. And that what she did was, she wrote a letter, this is a part of the prosecution case by the way, this is in the prosecution’s papers, this is not a secret document. What she said in this letter, she was complaining because she’d written to the IRA previously and they hadn’t responded. Now, she’s written a letter to the IRA Army Council believe it or not and what she says is she complains about the fact that the Army, the Army, the IRA didn’t actually carry out a proper investigation…”

Jennings: “Can I ask you…”

Madden: “She said, just let me finish…”

Jennings: “Yes.”

Madden: “She says, I also want to make it clear that I believe the Army’s intentions were honourable with regards to two women who deal with me. Now she’s referring there to Breige Wright and Maura McCrory. She accuses them of being in the IRA. My two clients have denied being members of the IRA. They were arrested, they were questioned, they denied membership of the IRA, we were waiting for a trial and then, lo and behold, on the eve of the trial in relation to Martin Morris, Ms Cahill decides that she’s not going to give evidence.”

Jennings: “That’s a letter we haven’t seen so you understand I can’t comment on it in that sense and it’s a letter we haven’t seen and we can’t verify in that sense but can I ask you…”

Madden: “Well, she also went on to say that she had an option to go to the RUC and decided not to.”

Jennings: “Can I ask you what interaction, if any, did your clients have with Maíria Cahill?”

Madden: “Well, you see that’s the whole point of this. That process is within a trial process and I think, you know, the public are very much aware that when people are accused of any sort of serious crime and that that serious crime is prosecuted and they’re brought to trial, the public are very much aware that people will reserve their defence and they will conduct their defence and they will challenge the accusations by the accuser if they want to do that.”

Jennings: “Were your clients in a room with Maíria Cahill over a period of many months? Questioning her about her rape allegations?”

Madden: “Well, I think I did answer the question in relation to that, Gavin. Maíria Cahill refused to come to court in a public way and make her allegations. She wrote to the IRA Army Council…”

Jennings: “Will you release that letter publicly, Peter?”

Talk over each other

Madden: “…and also implies that she cooperated in the investigation.”

Jennings: “Will you release that letter publicly, Peter?”

Madden: “Well the letter is in the prosecution documents. It’s on page 600 or something like that in the trial papers and I’m surprised that the BBC Spotlight didn’t refer to it and I’m surprised that none of the Sunday papers referred to it. It’s page 600 in something or other, it probably didn’t reach that extent of the trial papers but it’s a very important document.”

Jennings: “Peter…”

Madden: “She also has made a note for the, to the IRA Investigation Team, setting out what her allegations are, in other words, she was she would seem, from these papers, that she was cooperating with an IRA investigation, bear in mind, my clients deny membership of the IRA and have denied that all long and haven’t had the opportunity to challenge these accusations.”

Jennings: “You also say that your clients have been subjected to trial by media, that they’re innocence has been impugned. They take legal action against those who say they’re guilty.”

Madden: “Yes, they will in fact and, as far as the BBC Spotlight programme is concerned, they will be taking action against Spotlight because if this is not a cover-up, I don’t know what is. Why this information wasn’t disclosed to the public I just don’t know but it requires an investigation of its own.”

Listen back here

Update:

Via Mairia Cahill:

I note that, this morning via the media, Peter Madden solicitor for the four IRA people who forced an investigation into my sexual abuse, at the hands of another IRA member, misrepresented a letter I sent to the army council of the IRA in 2000. Peter Madden has complained throughout of trial by media but was content to involve himself in this earlier today.

Context is everything and what Peter Madden failed to disclose was the content of the letter in its entirety. I am quite happy to release the entire letter into the public domain. I have never hidden it. I gave it to the police in 2010 when I made my criminal complaint. I did that because it proves that what I have been saying all along is true. This is the reason why Peter Madden has the letter in the first place – because it formed part of the evidence of the prosecution against the IRA. It is worth noting that the IRA didn’t disclose it to the police.

I did.

Peter Madden stated today that in that letter I referred to Briege Wright and Maura McCrory. Not true. The two women I was referring to were Siobhan O’Hanlon and Briege Wright, women who I had to deal with at the time of the second IRA investigation – and who had both had involvement in the first. I had been told by Padraig Wilson that the IRA were going to “discipline” the people involved in my forced investigation – as were other members of my family. I didn’t want anyone facing their own “kangaroo court”. I have previously dealt with this fact, in the statement which I issued to Slugger O’Toole – and entitled “Uncomfortable truths for Sinn Fein”.

The second IRA investigation came about because other allegations surfaced about my abuser. When those allegations became known the man unbeknownst to me was placed under immediate house arrest by the IRA. I learned of this on 23rd July 2000. He was then given money and was moved out of the jurisdiction once myself and my family made it plain that we wanted to go to the RUC. When I learned of this the IRA then forced investigation number two. The minute my family said we wanted to go to the police the IRA moved the perpetrator, so we couldn’t do so. Other witnesses corroborated this to both the police and the media. When I learned the abuser had gone I requested, through Siobhan O’ Hanlon, that she get me someone to meet with who could give me answers regarding how this man was able to “disappear” – and why it was being “covered up”. The next day I was asked to go and meet two unnamed individuals. When I arrived at a flat in Glassmullan Gardens, Padraig Wilson and Marie Wright (Breige’s sister) were there on behalf of the IRA. They told me that the RUC had facilitated this man out of the country.

At that time I was barely 19 and didn’t know what to believe. I was in complete turmoil. The IRA first came to me in Oct/Nov 1999. By the time this letter was written, I had been put through hell for almost a year.

At the first “meeting” with the with two IRA representatives, I asked that the perpetrator be found so that he wouldn’t have access to other children. It is clear from my letter written to them that this was my main concern. It is also clear that I was using the language of a 19 year old at a time when I was distressed and frustrated with the republican movement.

Peter Madden said this letter proves I had an option of going to the RUC. Not true. The letter clearly sets out my frustration at not being able to go to the RUC which is why I referenced them in it. I wasn’t a member of the IRA. I had been put through two investigations at that stage and anyone around at that time can corroborate that I was severely traumatised – but I faced them down at the point when I was clearly frustrated that they had collectively covered up for a paedophile.

The letter proves that there was an IRA investigation – something which Sinn Fein has denied in a public way over the last number of weeks. It proves that I was forced into that investigation, i.e (“putting me through an investigation”.) It proves that I was clearly not happy with Finucane and Wilson who were the people making decisions for the IRA in my case. It proves that the IRA placed Morris under house arrest then disappeared him. It proves that the IRA and Morris had destroyed my life at that point.

And it proves that I was telling the truth.

Peter Madden may try to spin on behalf of the IRA clients who are hiding behind him – but no amount of spin can deny the truth of what happened to me. His clients have not once made themselves available to be questioned in detail on the issue.

I have. I think that speaks volumes.

After eventually listening to Peter Madden’s interview earlier, I consulted with my solicitor this morning with a view to issuing legal and civil proceedings against a number of individuals and entities. I reserve all of my legal rights in this regard.

I am happy to email the contents of the letter to any member of the media who wishes to have it.

Statement regarding Peter Madden and the IRA accused (Mairia Cahill)

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6 thoughts on “Seeking Due Process

  1. abaddon

    Not much coverage of this in todays news after the last 3 weeks of the Irish media publishing every second tweet from Ms. Cahill. I imagine a lot of the political and media establishment here are sweating and rechecking what they’ve been saying and printing.

    squeaky bum time…..

    1. scottser

      there’s been way too much of this played out in the media that it’s now turned into a mud-slinging, point-scoring exercise than any real search for truth and justice.

        1. scottser

          and no-one enjoys a spot of mud-slinging more than meself. but in fairness this is a bit too serious to be allowed to degenerate into the farce it’s become.

    2. gerard murphy

      I noticed at the outset of this controversy that one ‘prominent Sindo hack’ seemed rather cautious about the whole thing, he didn’t seem to commit himself to defend Mairia’s allegations , rather done a lot of re-tweeting on what others were saying, I guessed at the time he was expecting that the ‘squeaky bum time’ would arrive sooner or later !

  2. Kieran NYC

    His point seems to be… ‘She was cooperating with the IRA investigation that we deny was going on anyway’.

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