TWO men and two women due to stand trial charged with arranging Provisional IRA meetings walked free from court yesterday after the prosecution offered "no evidence'' against them.
As a result, Belfast Recorder Judge David McFarland entered "not guilty'' verdicts against Padraic Wilson, Seamus Finucane - the brother of murdered lawyer Pat Finucane - Briege Wright and Agnes McCrory.
Mr Wilson (53), of hamill Park, west Belfast, was the only one of the four accused who was present in the public gallery at Belfast Crown Court to hear the verdicts. He was due to go on trial at a non-jury Diplock court accused of two counts of "arranging or assisting a meeting of three or more people, knowing that the meeting was to support a proscribed organisation, namely the Provisional Irish Republican Army''.
Agnes McCrory (63), of Dermot hill Road, Seamus Finucane (57), of hawthorn hill, hannahstown, and Briege Wright (56), of Glasmullin Gardens, all west Belfast, were accused of professing to be members of the Provisional IRA, making threats and organising or addressing meetings of PIRA.
All four had denied the charges at arraignment.
The charges allegedly concerned several meetings held by the Provisionals in the late 1990s and 2000.
The case had been listed yesterday for mention only. However, Kate McKay, prosecuting, asked Judge McFarland that the charges "be left on the books and not to be proceeded without the leave of the Crown Court of the Court of Appeal''.
But Mark Mulholland QC, defending, said in the case last month of his client Martin Edward Morris (49), of Wel-beck Road, London, the prosecution offered no evidence against him on a charge of membership of the Provisional IRA.
"In the light of that decision, we say that the prosecution in this case should offer no evidence in the same terms.''
Ms McKay told the court that the prosecution was now "not offering evidence'' against the four accused.
As a result, the Belfast Recorder said he would enter "not guilty verdict'' against Mr Wilson, Mr Finucane, Ms Wright and Ms McCrory.
Ms McKay added that the prosecution was also not "offering any evidence'' against Martin Edward Morris who was awaiting trial on separate charges. He had been accused of four counts of rape, four counts of indecent assault on a child, three of gross indecency to a child and two indecent assaults on a female.
Mr Morris had denied the charges. The Belfast Recorder said that as a result of the prosecution decision, he would enter "not guilty verdicts'' on all 13 charges faced by Mr Morris.