§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Attorney-General if he will give for each of the following categories of crime, namely, murder, attempted murder or conspiracy to commit murder, wounding with intent to do serious bodily harm, possession of firearms or explosives, other major firearms offences and membership of an illegal organisation, the number of cases reported to and investigated by the Director of Public Prosecutions, the number of persons charged and the number of persons convicted who were serving members of the security forces at the time of the alleged offence.
§ The Attorney-GeneralIn respect of cases received by the Director of Public Prosecutions Northern Ireland in 1985 relating to persons who were serving members of the security forces at the time of the commission of the alleged 185W offence, records maintained by the Director of Public Prosecutions Northern Ireland show the position to be as follows:
Offences Persons in respect of whom directions to prosecute have been issued Trial result Murder 2(see note below) Not yet tried Attempted murder — — Conspiracy to murder — — Manslaughter 1 Not yet tried Offences Against the Person Act 1861 Section 18 Causing Grievous Bodily Harm with intent — — Offences Against the person Act 1861 Section 20 Malicious Wounding 1 Not yet tried Offences Against the person Act 1861 Section 35 Furious driving of a vehicle 1 Not yet tried Offences Against the Person Act 1861 Section 47 3 acquitted Assault Occasioning 2 convicted Actual Bodily Harm 12 7 not yet tried Explosives Substances Act 1883 — — Firearms Order (NI) 1981 Article 3 Possession of firearms or Ammunition 1 convicted without a Certificate 2 1 not yet tried Article 20 Discharge of Firearm 1 convicted unlawfully 3 2 not yet tried Article 24 Drunk in Charge of a Firearm 1 Acquitted Armed Robbery 1 Convicted Membership of a Proscribed Organisation — —
Offences Persons in respect of whom directions to prosecute have been issued Trial Result Murder *1 Not yet tried Attempted Murder — — Membership of a proscribed organisation — — Conspiracy to cause explosion — — Withholding information of terrorist activity — — Possession of Explosives — — Firearms Order (NI) 1981 Article 3 (Possession of a firearm without a Certificate) 1 Not yet tried Firearms Order (NI) 1981 Article 17 (Possession of firearms with intent to endanger life) — — Firearms Order (NI) 1981 Article 20 1 convicted (Unlawfully discharging a firearm in a public place) 2 1 not yet tried Offences against the Person Act 1861 1 acquitted Section 47 1 convicted (Assault occasioning actual bodily harm) 5 3 not yet tried Other Scheduled Offences — — 1 convicted Other Non-Scheduled Offences 18 17 not yet tried * The person who is to be prosecuted for murder is also being prosecuted in the same proceedings for three other offences, namely possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, collecting information likely to be useful to terrorists and armed robbery.
186WNote: These two persons are also to be prosecuted in the same proceedings for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. One of them is also to be prosecuted in those proceedings for collecting information likely to be useful to terrorists and armed robbery.