Hugh Gerard Coney Wiki – Hugh Gerard Coney Biography
Hugh Gerard Coney was shot in the back by a British soldier as he and other inmates tried to escape from the Long Kesh facility in 1974. The Republican boarding school had used a tunnel to escape from the prison camp and was running through a field near the perimeter fence when he was shot.
A new inquest into the murder of 24-year-old Coalisland man Co Tyrone will be heard next February. At a pre-inquest review hearing at Belfast Coroner’s Court on Tuesday, Coroner Anne Louise Toal received an update on her investigator’s efforts to track down military witnesses to the shooting. Coroner’s attorney Fiona Doherty KC said: “Six have responded and are willing to help.”
Hugh Gerard Coney Age
Hugh Gerard Coney is 24 years old.
Incident Detail
Ms Doherty said several of the former soldiers had sought legal representation from the Crown Counsel’s Office (CSO). “The rest are happy, certainly at this point, not to be represented,” she added. Ms Doherty said the process of taking witness statements before the investigation could start “very quickly”. The court was also told that three former police officers had replied to contact letters from the Forensic Service about the planned investigation.
Donal Lunny KC, representing the Northern Ireland Police Service and the Ministry of Defence, confirmed that three of the six former soldiers had contacted the CSO. He said that none of the possible police witnesses had contacted the CSO. The preliminary hearing also received an update on the process for disclosing sensitive police, military and government files prior to the investigation.
The coroner welcomed the progress, but stressed the need to keep “momentum” ahead of the late February start date The investigation has been listed amid continued uncertainty over whether some pending investigations will not get a chance to be heard due to planned laws intended to prevent future legacy investigations. The Government is currently submitting its controversial legacy legislation to Parliament.
The bill would offer immunity from prosecution to people accused of Troubles crimes as long as they cooperate with a new truth recovery body, and would also stop future civil cases and investigations related to killings during the conflict. Coroners in Northern Ireland are working on a calendar of legacy investigations related to the riots, some of which cover incidents from 50 years ago. While many have concluded, several have yet to begin. The next preliminary hearing in the Coney case was scheduled for October 20.
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