HC Deb 13 August 1883 vol 283 cc266-7
MR. O'KELLY

asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is true that Mr. Bernard M'Hugh, of Thomastown, county Roscommon, was arrested on the 22nd of June on a charge of conspiring to murder Mr. Young, for which murder he was tried and acquitted six years ago; whether, having been remanded six times, and on each occasion for eight days, he has been finally set at liberty without any evidence having been produced against him; whether he was brought into the sub-inspector's room in the police barracks at Castlerea, and into the presence of the sub-inspector and a stranger; whether the stranger, addressing Mr. M'Hugh, said— Now, M'Hugh, we have got evidence that will convict you; but, if you hand up the actual murderer, you can go home to your family, and we shall do all we can for you; whether Mr. M'Hugh was only permitted to be represented once by his solicitor before the magistrate, and although he applied, on each occasion on which he was remanded, to be allowed the services of his solicitor, he was not permitted to communicate with his legal adviser; whether, on cross-examination, Sub-Inspector Wynne swore that "no information had been sworn against Mr. M'Hugh;" whether the Government will take any action in view of the conduct of the police; and, whether any compensation will be given to Mr. M'Hugh for the loss of his time, and the damage done to his character by these proceedings?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. PORTER)

M'Hugh was arrested on the 22nd of June on a charge of conspiring to murder Mr. Young, for whose murder he had been tried and acquitted three, not six, years ago. There was several remands, and finally the case dropped from want of completeness in the evidence. The Resident Magistrate informs me that he is not aware of any overtures having been made to M'Hugh, and that no such conversation as that referred to occurred in the police barracks. It is untrue that the prisoner was ever refused permission to see his solicitor or to be represented by him. I am not aware of what evidence Mr. Wynne gave; but I cannot think he said that there was no sworn information against Mr. M'Hugh, as there was. The last part of the Question I have to answer in the negative.

MR. O'KELLY

said, that he had put the Question denied by the Attorney General upon the faith of a letter received from M'Hugh himself. On going into Committee of Supply he would call attention to the persistent persecution to which this man had been subjected for three years in view of the fact that the Government had under their own protection the man who confessed himself to be the organizer of Mr. Young's murder.