In the aftermath of the fatal shootings in Antrim and Craigavon on March 7th 2009 the media and some local politicians hysterically engaged in a frenzy of finger pointing and "felon setting".
As each politician and reporter attempted to outdo the comments of the other regarding who may have been responsible, a deliberate picture was created whereby sections of the media and politicians identified those who they alleged ought to be arrested.
Our family member Colin was one of those unfairly and unjustly identified. In due course the northern police force, the PSNI, previously known as the RUC, obliged.
Colin's arrest came as no surprise to us, his family. Due to the unsubstantiated comments made by sections of the media and certain politicians, it was our great fear and worry that, once again, he would be 'set-up' as a scapegoat.
Our family's fears and worries were reinforced by two very important facts that both the media and politicians have failed to report or comment upon.
Firstly, Colin had been visited at his home four days before his arrest by the PSNI to inform him that a threat had been made on his life. The PSNI photographed Colin at his front door. Why did the PSNI not arrest him then?
Secondly following his arrest Colin's legal representative was astounded to be informed that the arrest was "not based on evidence". In the absence of any evidential basis for Colin's arrest, it was clear to our family, that the PSNI had other sinister motivations for detaining him.
The family's belief regarding the PSNI's perverse motivation was vindicated when the High Court ruled on Wednesday March 25th that Colin's arrest and prolonged detention, under legislation which permits a person to be held for up to
28 days, to be unlawful. It also became apparent during his legal challenge initiated by Colin's solicitor that Colin had not been questioned at all by the PSNI since the previous Friday.
Our family has always believed from the outset that Colin's Original arrest and his prolonged detention on March 14th was motivated by vindictiveness on the part of the PSNI. The actions of the PSNI in immediately rearresting Colin after the High Court had ruled that his continued detention was unlawful, shows the complete disregard which the PSNI has for its own justice system and for the European Convention of Human Rights.
Furthermore Colin was not even permitted to leave his place of detention before being re-arrested, thereby putting a question mark over the legality of that subsequent arrest. It is also no mere coincidence that Colin was subsequently charged within 48 hours of this re-arrest thus precluding the PSNI from having to re-submit any application for further detention before a judge. Colin had been held for a total of THIRTEEN days before he was charged.
We believe the PSNI's actions demonstrate the lengths that they are prepared to go in order to conduct this vendetta against Colin. It also shows that the PSNI believe themselves to be above their own courts.
It should not be forgotten that this campaign of persecution also involved a murder attempt which resulted in the death of a close family friend,
Sam Marshall. It later emerged, in a US court, that vehicles involved in that murder belonged to British military intelligence and to the RUC.
Colin has previously been the victim of persecution by the state and its forces which include previous periods of imprisonment which were proven to be completely unjustified. It was similar vindictiveness, spurred on by a hostile media, which led to the wrongful arrest and lengthy imprisonment of innocent people in the past such as the Birmingham Six, the Maguire Family and the Guildford Four. More recently we have witnessed, in the cases of Sean Hoey and Chris Ward, exactly what the PSNI are capable of. How many more people will be wrongfully detained for prolonged periods of time under the new form of internment before someone says "Stop not in my name".
We call for Colin's immediate release and are appealing to all those interested in justice to support us in our campaign to return Colin safely home to his wife, Martine, his children and his wider family