Man’s murder confession was coerced, appeal court told
A MAN who escaped and fled to the United States after being jailed for an IRA murder was wrongly found guilty on the basis of admissions made amid “indefensible” police interrogation tactics, the Court of Appeal heard yesterday.
Kevin Artt (60) is seeking to overturn his conviction for the killing of Maze Prison Deputy Governor Albert Miles.
Mr Miles was gunned down in front of his wife at their north Belfast home in November 1978.
Artt was convicted of the murder in 1983 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Later that year he joined 37 other inmates involved in a mass IRA escape from the Maze.
He fled to America, settling on the west coast, but was arrested on a passport violation in 1992, leading to the British authorities seeking his extradition.
But following a protracted process, the US courts ruled against sending him back.
Artt, who has remained in California
ever since, is now pursuing an appeal lodged before the prison breakout. His lawyers claim police conduct during his interrogation and flaws in the trial process render the murder conviction unsafe.
Opening the challenge Fiona Doherty QC acknowledged the “terrible murder of Albert Miles and the cruel bereavement of
Mr Miles’ family”. But she argued that her client has denied involvement ever since — except for admissions made during a 45-hour detention period which form the only evidence against him.
Those confessions were obtained through a combination of ill-treatment, coercion, threats, promises, an improper confrontation
THE Duchess of Sussex stepped out in a vivid turquoise Victoria Beckham dress as she began her final run of royal duties.
Meghan, who is quitting the monarchy to mostly live in North America, chose the British brand set up by the former Spice Girl for her appearance at the Endeavour Fund Awards in London to celebrate the sporting and adventure achievements of wounded, sick and injured service personnel.
It was the first time Meghan has carried out a public royal duty in the wake of the Megxit crisis.
Meghan wore her hair up in a sleek ponytail, and her towering stilettos were Manolo Blahnik’s BB pumps in navy.
Victoria and her husband, former England footballer David Beckham, were among the guests at Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018.
They walked into Mansion House smiling with Harry holding an umbrella, as Meghan linked her arm with his. There were cheers and applause as they walked by, while one person briefly booed. with another suspect, and being misled, it was claimed.
“Even by the standards at the time, the admissions made by him should have been excluded,” Ms Doherty said. “Looking at them from modern-day standards of fairness, we say the circumstances surrounding those admissions are indefensible.”
The appeal continues.