'I'll continue until I clear friend's name' - McDonald
A Derry man whose conviction for paramilitary-related offences was deemed unsafe has vowed to continue to campaign to have his friend's name cleared.
Peter McDonald and two others, Eric Wright and James Brown, were 16 years-old when they were convicted of paramilitary offences in the late 1970s.
However, on Friday, the prosecution service said it could not stand over the convictions because the boys were questioned by the RUC without a lawyer or adult present.
A 15 year-old, the late Johhny Doherty, was also convicted but was not sent to jail because of his age.
Mr McDoland, who is now a community worker in Galliagh, says he can never foget the ill treatment he was subjected to.
"Having lived with the consequences of the convictions forced upon me over thirty years ago, I have now moved on, but I cannot forget the treatment meted out to myself and my friend, Johnny Doherty, both by the British Army and the RUC," he told the 'Journal'.
He says she has been haunted by his friend's death and decided to appeal the convictions in order to clear the name of both himself and Johnny Doherty.
"Things have now changed drastically and this is to be welcomed but Johnny's death always haunted me," he said. "Several years ago, I decided that the time was right to challenge the old system and, with the help of other ex-prisoners, I put in an application through the Criminal Cases Review Commission in the hope that I could obtain some form of justice.
"Now I believe my name will once and for all be cleared giving me some form of closure to that dreadful period in our lives but, most importantly, making the steps towards clearing Johnny's name as well," he said.
The move has been welcomed by Foyle Sinn Fin MLA Martina Anderson.
"The appeal process has so far succeeded in exposing what passed for a justice system during the years of conflict. It also exposes the blind eye approach adopted by most politicians who claimed the existence of collusion and corruption in the justice system was Sinn Fin propaganda.
"These cases and others to come are an indictment of the political and social establishment who chose to stay silent while these injustices were inflicted on individuals who were no more than children at the time," she added.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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