OTR Letters 'Not An Amnesty'

'On the Run' letters sent to wanted republican terrorist suspects did not amount to an amnesty, a judge has found.

Lady Justice Hallett has completed a review, ordered by Prime Minister David Cameron, on the so-called 'On the Run' letters.

The review follows the collapse of the trial of a man suspected of carrying out the 1982 IRA Hyde Park Bombing.

John Downey had received notice that he was not wanted by any UK police force in relation to the bombing, but this has since been declared not to be the case.

Lady Justice Hallett said the letter was the result of a "catastrophic mistake" by the PSNI.

Responding in the Commons today, NI Secretary Theresa Villiers said: "The Hyde Park atrocity resulted in the brutal murder of four members of the Blues and Royals, seven horses were also killed and just hours later another bomb in Regent's Park took the lives of seven members of the Royal Green Jackets.

"These were appalling terrorist outrages carried out by the Provisional IRA for which there could never ever be any justification. So in this House our first thoughts today should be with the families and friends of those murdered that day in July 1982.

"The government fully appreciates the deep sense of hurt and anger that the collapse of the Downey trial has caused both to them and victims of terrorism more widely. And I would like to repeat the apology I gave in March for that. This government is profoundly sorry for the hurt this case has caused."

Ms Villiers continued: "The Downey case highlighted the administrative scheme introduced by the previous government to deal with so-called on-the-runs. These were people who had left Northern Ireland and believed that if they returned to any part of the UK they might be arrested in connection with terrorist offences.

"The government responded to the widespread public concern expressed about the OTR scheme by establishing a judge-led independent review of the scheme. I am grateful to Lady Justice Hallett for taking on this task.

"Anybody reading the report will be left in no doubt that she has provided us with a rigorous and comprehensive account of the scheme. The government accepts the report and all its recommendations in full."

However, Sinn Féin Policing and Justice spokesperson Gerry Kelly said the On the Run scheme was neither secret or illegal.

"The OTR issue was one of a number which Sinn Fein and other parties raised with the two governments in the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement," he said.

"The scheme was put in place by the British government in line with commitments made by both governments to address this issue. In the aftermath of the Downey case, Sinn Fein cooperated fully with the Hallett Inquiry and outlined Sinn Féin's engagement on this issue from the Good Friday Agreement onwards.

"The report also make it clear that the process was not secret, there are over 30 pages of material included in the report, which was in the public domain. This included reports in the media, questions and answers in Dáil Éireann and in the two British houses of parliament, Policing Board minutes and the Eames Bradley Report.

"A long list of politicians from the DUP, UUP, Alliance and SDLP discussed the issue over a period of a decade in meetings with the British government and British officials. The two governments made commitments to deal with the anamoly of the issue of the On the Runs in the wake of the Early Release Scheme under the Good Friday Agreement. We expect the governments to live up to those political commitments."

(IT/JP)