Bloody Sunday Inquiry judge resigns

A reserve judge at the Bloody Sunday inquiry in Londonderry has tendered his resignation because of ill health.

Canadian judge Mr Justice William Esson told Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid in a resignation letter that he was resigning following doctor’s advice.

Mr Justice Esson, who is quitting before the inquiry resumes on September 3 after a summer break, said doctors in Vancouver had told him he should resign because of his health.

The British government said it would not replace the reserve judge, who was appointed last November, because the inquiry was at an advanced stage.

As a reserve judge, Mr Justice Esson’s task was to sit in the hearing’s chamber in Londonderry’s Guildhall and observe the proceedings and to review the written evidence. An inquiry statement said his role did not enable him to contribute to tribunal decisions or seek to influence them.

Lord Saville, chairman of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry Tribunal said: “We are saddened to learn of Mr Justice Esson’s resignation and are concerned for his health. We are grateful for his services to the inquiry and wish him well for the future.”

The tribunal was set up by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in January 1998 after a campaign by the relatives of the 13 people killed by paratroopers in Londonderry at a civil rights march on January 30, 1972.

The new inquiry has been sitting in public for the past year and is expected to run for another two years. However, it is expected that Lord Saville will not complete his report before the end of 2003 at the earliest. (AMcE)