Ambassador gives evidence at McKevitt trial
The British ambassador in Ireland, Ivor Roberts told the Special Criminal Court today that he had been advised by members of the British security service in Ireland and in London that all relevant material relating to David Rupert, the chief prosecution witness against the alleged leader of the Real IRA Michael Mckevitt, had been disclosed to the defence.
During ten minutes of evidence at the Green Street court house today, Roberts said he had read several hundred pages of the 2,300 documents that had been furnished to him.
It was the first time that a British ambassador gave evidence in an Irish court and there was tight security for Roberts' appearance with special branch detectives escorting him to and from the courthouse.
Roberts told McKevitt's counsel Mr Hugh Harnett SC that he had sworn an affidavit claiming privilege over certain documents.
When asked why, he replied: "In essence what we are talking about is a desire to avoid putting lives at risk and to prevent the undermining of efforts to prevent and disrupt terrorism."
Roberts told Mr Harnett that he had read "wide representative statements if the 2,300 pages" presented to him. He added: " I was aware that the defence line would be to seek to undermine the credibility of a witness".
When questioned as to who gave him the documents, Roberts replied: "members of the British security service" and added: "in Dublin."
The ambassador said he relied "entirely" on the security service members.
He told Mr Harnett that he had read the whole bundle of documents and selected several hundred.
He said: "They were not presented to me as files. They were presented to me as documents. They were a very large bundle of papers which I went through."
The ambassador added that it was "a reasonable inference" that the documents were extracted form a file.
He said that he had read the documents in their edited and unedited form. He said there was a key explaining the editing and added: "we are perfectly prepared to make available to your lordships why redactions [editing] were made and on what grounds they were made."
Cross examined by prosecuting counsel Mr George Birmingham SC the ambassador said he was aware of the importance in the Irish legal system of an accused person obtaining a fair trial and he said this was why the British government had made the documentation available on such an extensive scale.
McKevitt's trial at the Special Criminal Court is due to go ahead early next year and is expected to last six weeks.
Michael Mc Kevitt (51) of Beech Park, Blackrock, Dundalk, Co Louth is charged that between August 29, 1999 and March 28, 2001, within the State, he was a member of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann and that he directed the activities of the same organisation.
It is the first prosecution for directing terrorism under new legislation brought in after the 1998 Omagh bombing and anyone convicted of the offence faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The hearing continues today.
