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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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A public interest immunity hearing is set to take place in January ahead of a fresh inquest into the death of a man shot dead while attempting to escape from Long Kesh internment camp.
Hugh Gerard Coney, 24, from Coalisland, Co Tyrone was shot in the back by a British soldier as he and other internees tried to escape the Long Kesh facility in 1974.
The republican internee had used a tunnel to escape from the prison camp and was running across a field close to the perimeter fence when he was shot.
A preliminary hearing at Belfast Coroner’s Court on Monday heard that work is ongoing by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and Ministry of Defence around preparing sensitive material for the inquest, which is set to take place in February.
Coroner Anne-Louise Toal had previously directed that the redacted sensitive material be disseminated by December 21, with a public interest immunity (PII) hearing to take place on January 12.
A representative for the PSNI said they were working with the Northern Ireland Office around the material, described as “quite a substantial volume of papers”, but it will not be ready to be disseminated until January 6.
Ms Toal pointed out there are some working days before the Christmas break, as well as between Christmas and the new year, adding she was loath to move the hearing from January 12, and risk a knock-on delay for the start of the inquest,
“This is only being raised as an issue two days before the deadline, and that was set a few weeks ago, while I understand there is extra work to be done on that, I don’t think it is out of the ordinary to expect that to be done by January 3,” she said.
The PSNI representative said with a number of legacy inquests under way, state parties were “working at maximum capacity at the minute”.
The coroner responded: “This is why from the outset I set so many preliminary hearings to try and keep it moving at pace”.
Another preliminary hearing to set to take place on January 6 ahead of the PII hearing.
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