Friday, 19 September, 2003

• Brent East by-election

Tuesday, 23 September, 2003

• Killer British soldier promoted during investigation

Friday, 19 September, 2003

Brent East by-election

By Pat Finucane Centre, Derry

Following last night’s result in the Brent East by-election, Kelly McBride, her family and supporters have hailed her election campaign as a major step towards justice for her family.

Kelly secured enough votes to come out as one of the strongest candidates outside those supported by major political parties, coming eighth out of sixteen candidates. This was achieved without the help of a “professional party machine” to knock on doors and put up posters, or any of the resources available to candidates attached to the main political parties.

She said afterwards:

“We got 189 votes, but we have said all along that this election campaign was never about votes, it was about highlighting what happened to my brother Peter and what is still happening to my family. Since the election campaign began we have handed out over 60,000 leaflets explaining our case in an area where people had never been told the true facts of the case.

“People here have been very supportive of our campaign, and many, including the other candidates, have been disgusted when told for the first time how our family has been treated. We have at last broken through the wall of silence erected around our campaign and brought our message to the doorsteps of those who have taken all the disgraceful decisions in this case.

“The other candidates have promised that they will raise this issue with their parties, and the winner, Sarah Teather, has promised to raise it in Parliament.

“We won what we set out to win in this election – we have brought the issue of my brother’s murder and the continued employment by the government of his murderers, to the heart of the British political system.

“I would like to thank all of the people who helped me to do that. Without the help of the many dedicated volunteers who helped us in London, we could not have achieved what we did over the past few weeks.

”I would also like to congratulate the successful candidate in this election, and I hope that she represents her new constituents well. I would also like to thank her for her support for my campaign.”

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Tuesday, 23 September, 2003

Killer British soldier promoted during investigation

By Pat Finucane Centre, Derry

McBride killer promoted during Army Board deliberations - Armed Forces Minister The Armed Forces Minister, Adam Ingram, has admitted that Lance Corporal James Fisher, one of two Scots Guards convicted of the murder of Peter McBride, was promoted while an Army Board was still considering the fate of the guardsmen. The admission came in a letter to the Pat Finucane Centre received on the day of the Brent East By-election. A PFC spokesperson has described the news as “clear evidence that the MoD subverted a court ruling and improperly influenced the Army Board.”

“A Belfast court ordered the Ministry of Defence and then Armed Forces Minister John Spellar to reconsider the original decision to retain the two guardsmen. As a result a second Army Board was appointed chaired by Armed Forces Minister John Spellar. In October 2000, while the Board deliberated on the case, Fisher was promoted. A month later, in November 2000 it was announced that the second Army Board had again decided that Wright and Fisher could remain in the British Army. The final meeting of the Board was held on November 8, several weeks after the promotion. This promotion was clearly an attempt to subvert a court ruling that had overturned the original Army Board decision in favour of the guardsmen. It is also clear that the MoD, while John Spellar was Armed Forces Minister, withheld the fact of this promotion and more importantly the timing, from the legal team representing Jean McBride and sought to exert improper influence on the Army Board. ”

Jean McBride commented, “John Spellar was the Armed Forces Minister when an employee convicted of murder was promoted and while a court ordered tribunal which he sat on was reconsidering the decision to even employ that person. Where are the demands for an inquiry and resignations? Instead Spellar is appointed Minister for Human Rights. This totally vindicates the position taken by the Mayor of Belfast Martin Morgan who is boycotting Spellar’s office.”

Note to editors

• In December 1998 an Army Board decided that Wright & Fisher could remain in the Army due to ‘exceptional reasons’.
• In September 1999 a Belfast court overturned the Army Board decision and ordered the MoD to reconsider the retention of the two convicted murderers.
• Throughout the summer of 2000 a second Army Board, which included then Armed Forces minister John Spellar and Commander in Chief Land Forces General Mike Jackson, held a series of hearings to determine whether Wright & Fisher should be dismissed.
• In October 2000, while the Army Board was deliberating, Fisher was promoted.
• On November 24 2000 the Army Board again ruled that there were ‘exceptional reasons’ justifying retention of the guardsmen.
• In June 2003 the NI Court of Appeal ruled that there were no ‘exceptional reasons’ justifying retention.
• In August 2003 Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram revealed for the first time in a letter to the PFC that Fisher had been promoted.

• In September 2003 Ingram admits that the promotion occurred in October 2000 while the Army Board was deliberating on the case.

For background information on this case see our site and  www.serve.com/pfc

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