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Madden & Finucane
present
the Madden & Finucane
and Pat Finucane
Aisling Awards
The Aisling Bursaries, launched in March 2000, are
an educational initiative between Belfast Media Group and West Belfast
Partnership. The Aisling Bursaries are designed to help students defray their
education and training costs.
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Thompson family wins judicial review
6 March, 2003 --
The family of a Derry mother who was shot dead by British soldiers in 1971 has
welcomed a High Court decision to grant them a judicial review into her killing.
Kathleen Thompson was shot as she stood in the garden of her home in the Creggan
estate in Derry on 6 November 1971. In 1980, nearly ten years after her death,
her family received a cheque for £84.07p in "compensation".
Kathleen's family and friends are adamant there was never a proper investigation
into her killing, and three years ago they approached the Pat Finucane Centre to
ask for their support in persuing the case.
Since then, the family and their representatives have been given "the runaround"
in their repeated attempts to view an RUC file alleged to contain details on the
police investigation into the killing. In spite of assurances of its existence,
the PSNI have yet to produce it.
The Thompson family was originally told them that no such file could be found,
but hours before a televison program on the killing was due to be broadcast, the
file myseteriously turned up. It then immediately "disappeared" again.
In October of 2002, the Thompson family, accompanied by representatives of the
Pat Finucane Center, met with PSNI officers in the Strand Road Barracks in Derry
and were assured that the file did indeed exist. They were also promised it
would be disclosed to them a few days later.
When the Thompsons returned to the barracks on the prearranged date and time,
the file was once again unavailable, and the family walked out in disgust.
On 18 February of this year, British Minister for Victims, Des Browne, stated
that a full police investigation had, in fact, been carried out into Kathleen's
death.
Solicitors acting on behalf of the family lodged a judicial review in the High
Court, arguing that the British Sectretary Of State was under an obligation to
carry out an Article two investigation as required by the European Convention of
Human Rights and the Human Rights Act. Last week, the High Court issued its
decision, ruling that there had been no effective investigation into the
killing.
Although the British Secretary of State is expected to appeal the judgement,
campaigners believe the decision marks a turning point that will have major
implications for victims of state violence.
One of Kathleen's daughters, Minty Thompson, said she was "overjoyed" at the
ruling.
Peter Madden, solicitor for the Thompson family said: "We launched these
proceedings on behalf of the family after the Pat Finucane Centre and the
Spotlight programme highlighted that the RUC/PSNI were unable to even trace the
police investigation file into Mrs Thompson's death.
"It was clear to us that rather than investigate properly themselves how Mrs
Thompson was killed, the RUC simply accepted what the soldiers' lawyers said
happened, even after it became apparent that one soldier had admitted firing
shots, suggesting that he was responsible for Mrs Thompson's death.
"Today's judgement reinforces the judgement of the Court of Appeal last month,
for the family of Gervaise McKerr, that victims of state violence were denied
any effective investigation into their deaths.
"The Secretary Of State must now act to provide all families with the Article
Two complaint investigations they have been denied."
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