McFarlane trial date set for October
On the same day that Leonard Hardy was sentenced in Germany, and after a lengthy legal tussle over whether or not he would face trial, the date for the trial of the prominent Provisional IRA member Brendan McFarlane, for the kidnapping of businessman Don Tidey in 1983, was set by the Special Criminal Court for 3rd October this year. His defence team told the court that McFarlane intends to make a new application for a judicial review of the case, following the decision of the Supreme Court, which may delay matters further.. whether the Northern Ireland [Offences] Bill, or something similar, is enacted before then, paving the way for the equally criticised Presidential Pardons, would be purely a matter of speculation.
