Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons have been(a) prosecuted and (b) sentenced for paramilitary punishment attacks in each of the past three years; and if he will make a statement. [8335]
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§ Sir John WheelerThese crimes are brutal, unjust and have no place in a civilised society. It is not possible to provide figures in precisely the form requested as there is no specific offence of carrying out a "punishment attack". However, the RUC statistics indicate that between 1994 and 1996, 62 people were charged with what appears to be punishment beating-related offences, as follows:
Republican Loyalist 1994 2 6 1995 25 9 1996 8 12 To date, five convictions have been served as follows:
Republican Loyalist 1994 1 4 1995 0 0 1996 0 0 However, cases against a further 26 persons are pending.
Republican Loyalist 1994 1 0 1995 8 7 1996 0 10 Despite all the RUC's efforts, groups of terrorist thugs continue to attack those within their own communities whom they wish to intimidate, including those accused of alleged anti-social behaviour and assisting the security forces. In recent months, these attacks have increased in ferocity and many young men and women have been left with horrific injuries and will bear the scars for the rest of their lives.
Such attacks are against all concepts of justice and human rights. They are carried out by those who are most keen on their own rights, but are happy to deny similar rights and to play the part of judge, jury and executioner when it comes to dealing with others. The RUC is the only legitimate law enforcement agency in Northern Ireland, and the Government urge anyone who knows anything about these brutal attacks to tell the police. They also incur substantial costs to the community in NHS, compensation claims and other costs.