Mr Justice Weir’s pronouncement ensures there is to be no repeat of the sometimes hustled justice of the 1970s. Sean Hoey, after spending much of the last four and a half year in custody walked free of a Belfast courthouse this afternoon when Weir judged that the forensic evidence fell far short of anything that could be relied upon. It’s one of a series of strong judgements that augurs well for the independence of the judiciary. But what killed any possibility of bringing any of the real killers to justice was the lack of witness evidence, despite the widespread trauma and wholesale butchery of the day.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty