Northern Secretary accused of overruling prisoner release
The Northern Secretary Owen Paterson has been accused of overruling a Belfast High Court decision that would have released alleged dissident republican Martin Corey from prison.
Corey (61), Lurgan, Co Armagh, was released on licence in 1992 for the 1973 life sentence conviction he received for the murder of two RUC officers. Two years ago, however, then Northern secretary Shaun Woodward had Corey’s release licence revoked on the basis of “closed material” alleging he was a dissident republican.
Mr Justice Treacy yesterday ruled in the Belfast High Court that Corey should be released on unconditional bail. In the case centring on the alleged secrecy over how Corey was sent back to prison in 2010, the judge found that the North’s parole commissioners breached his human rights in refusing to release him.
However, notwithstanding the judge’s decision, Corey was not released. A spokeswoman for Mr Paterson said the legal process relating to Corey was “ongoing and nothing will happen until the legal process is completed”.
Republican Sinn Féin, which has links to the Continuity IRA, last night condemned the decision not to release Corey and accused Mr Paterson of overruling Mr Justice Treacy.
