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A solicitor today said the courts need to ‘take control’ of the progression of the John Caldwell case.
At Omagh Magistrates Court an update was heard about the progression of the attempted murder on the senior PSNI officer.
DCI Caldwell was shot multiple times at Youth Sport outside Omagh on February 22, 2023.
Since then over 20 people have been charged and legal representatives for the defendants are awaiting a date for committal.
Throughout last year, the date for committal was pushed back multiple times due to delay in what has been described as ‘one of the most complex cases in Northern Ireland’ and more recently three further people have been charged, pushing the date for committal back until after March.
However the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has said that a ‘decision in principal’ has been made in relation to some of the accused.
During today’s hearing, the PPS counsel said that the full file in relation to John Coleman (73) from Dungannon, who is charged with preparing terrorist acts and perverting the course of justice, would be ready by the end of February.
The counsel added that Coleman’s file was ‘integral’ to the decision in the cases of co-accused Liam Robinson (46) from Stewartstown and Caoimhin Murphy (25) from Coalisland, who are both charged with the same offences.
However, defence counsel Gavin Booth noted that the case was proceeding to its near three-year anniversary without any date for committal to the Crown Court yet fixed.
He added that even when committal papers are ready, senior counsel will require time to go through the alleged evidence ahead of the case being sent to the Crown Court.
Defence solicitor Michael Fahy added that the rights of the defendants are being ‘abjectly infringed’ by the delay, reiterating the near three-year anniversary since the case first came to court.
Mr Fahy called on the court to ‘take control’ and case manage the files, to ensure there is no ‘slippage’.
District judge Conor Heaney said that he was ‘not going to comment’ on the ongoing delay, but directed that the case returns to Omagh Magistrates Court in two weeks for the PPS to furnish senior counsel with a timetable on the case’s progression.
An update will be heard on Tuesday, January 20.
