McKie public inquiry chair appointed
14 Mar 08
Northern Irish Lord Justice to lead investigation of Shirley McKie fingerprint case
A senior Northern Irish judge is to chair a public judicial inquiry into the Shirley McKie case.
Lord Justice Campbell, who also conducted an inquiry into the prosecution of three men accused of the murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar, will chair the inquiry promised by the SNP administration. The inquiry will:
- look into the steps that were taken to identify and verify the fingerprints associated with, and leading up to, the prosecution of Shirley McKie in 1999;
- determine, in relation to the fingerprint designated Y7, the consequences of the steps taken, or not taken;
- report the findings and recommend what measures might now be introduced, beyond those introduced since 1999.
Shirley McKie, a former Strathclyde Police officer, was accused of perjury in 1998, following a claim by the Scottish Criminal Record Office that a fingerprint found in the home of murder victim Marion Ross was hers, when she denied having been in the house. This led to her being suspended and sacked from the police force.
After raising court proceedings against the then Scottish Executive Ms McKie accepted a payment of awarded £750,000 in 2006 in full settlement of her claim. The Scottish Executive paid out the money without admitting liability.
Lord Justice Campbell will oversee the setting up of the inquiry but will not begin hearings until he retires from the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland at the end of August.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "The purpose of the inquiry is not to try or retry any individual for the events of the past, nor to challenge the decisions of the prosecution, the defence or the courts in relation to any of those events.
“The purpose is to open up and understand those events and to learn from them to ensure that Scotland has a fully efficient, effective and robust approach to the identification, verification and presentation of fingerprint material.”
Lord Justice Campbell said: "I know from my previous experience of conducting this type of work in Scotland that, by their very nature, inquiries tend to deal with issues that are difficult and sensitive. I intend that this inquiry will be both rigorous and fair in dealing with issues and individuals arising from the Shirley McKie case.”