McGRORY TO QUIT NI’S CHIEF PROSECUTOR MAY MAKE A RETURN TO PRIVATE PRACTICE
NORTHERN Ireland’s under-fire Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is expected to resign in September.
Barra McGrory QC has led the prosecution service since November 2011 and is expected to make an announcement today.
It is understood he plans to return to private legal practice, possibly in England.
Mr McGrory is the first Catholic to lead the Public Prosecution Service (PPS), which has faced growing criticism from unionists over its handling of legacy Troubles cases involving soldiers.
Mr McGrory has strongly defended his office against claims by both Conservative and DUP MPs that the authorities are pursuing a witch-hunt against Northern Ireland veterans.
The PPS has also strongly defended its record, saying recently that it has mounted five times more cases against alleged paramilitaries than soldiers in five years.
There is no suggestion the move is linked to the criticism he has recently faced.
Before Mr McGrory took up the post, he was one of Northern Ireland’s best known criminal lawyers.
He represented Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, but also loyalist paramilitaries and unionist politicians.
In a number of cases, the DPP recused himself from decisions that could be perceived as being linked to his former clients.
The DPP said anyone who understood the legal profession would know lawyers represent anyone who seeks their representation.
In December, it was announced two former soldiers were to be prosecuted for allegedly murdering Official IRA commander Joe McCann.
It is thought to be the second military prosecution involving Northern Ireland since the 1990s.
Another former soldier, Dennis Hutchings, who is in his 70s and from Cornwall, has been charged with attempted murder in 2015.
A spokesman for the PPS declined to comment last night.
Last night, Ulster Unionist MLA and Westminster candidate Doug Beattie said the unexpected move could rebuild confidence in the justice system.
The Military Cross recipient added the sudden announcement “comes amidst a great deal of disquiet as to how the office has operated”.