Judge calls for medical records of McConville murder case accused
A JUDGE has ordered that the notes and medical records of a veteran republican charged over the murder of Jean McConville be handed to the prosecution within seven days.
Ivor Malachy Bell (80), of Ramoan Gardens in west Belfast, has yet to be formally arrainged on two charges in connection with the mother-of-10’s murder almost 45 years ago.
Bell faces two counts of soliciting the IRA abduction and murder of Mrs McConville from her Divis flat in west Belfast in December 1972.
His legal team had previously told Belfast Crown Court that Bell had been diagnosed with dementia and would not be able to fully participate in his trial.
The proceedings have faced ongoing delays to allow Bell to be examined by a Dublin-based consultant on whether he was fit to plead or not to the charges.
At Belfast Crown Court yesterday, Bell’s defence barrister Desmond Hutton told Mr Justice Treacy that the doctor had now indicated that she “did not want to become formally involved’’ in the case.
He said that the defence had approached another doctor, who furnished a report on Bell that had been shared with the prosecution.
He said he had not handed the report into court as “I have some questions to put to him’’.
The court heard that the prosecution had additionally retained the services of an “old age specialist’’ doctor to have Bell examined to see if he was fit to enter a plea and stand trial.
Ciaran Murphy QC, prosecuting, said in order for the Crown expert witness to conduct an examination of Bell, he needed access to the defendant’s medical notes and records, which he described as being “crucial’’ to his work.
He said the Crown expert planned to examine Bell on Tuesday, May 2.
Mr Justice Treacy said he wanted the matter dealt with “expeditiously’’.
The judge agreed to a prosecution request to have the matter put in further review on Friday, May 12.
Bell was not present in court for yesterday’s proceedings.
Jean McConville, a 37-year-old widow, was seized by the IRA after being wrongly accused of being a British Army informant.
She was shot and secretly buried. Her body was discovered on a beach in Co Louth in 2003.