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Diplock court

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343: 330:'s explanatory notes for the 2007 act characterise its changes as "repeal" of "the Diplock system" and its replacement with "a new system of non-jury trial". On the other hand, courts in such trials have much the same format as the pre-2007 Diplock courts, and have been called "Diplock courts" in the media. 200:
in March 1972 found "no evidence of or of perversity in juries". The report marked the beginning of the policy of "criminalisation", whereby the State removed legal distinctions between political violence and normal crime, with political prisoners treated as common criminals. The report provided the
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Currently Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 s.4; previously Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1991 s.9(1); Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1996 s.10(1); Terrorism Act 2000 s.74 as enacted and as amended by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 Sch.4
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We are convinced on the evidence that we have received, that if juries were to be reintroduced for scheduled offences, their verdicts would still be subject to the influences of intimidation, or the fear of it. We have no evidence of this or of perversity in
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Greer & White: Abolishing The Diplock Courts, page 91: Report of a Committee to consider, in the context of civil liberties and human rights, measures to deal with terrorism in Northern Ireland, Lord
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During the trial, distressing CCTV images of the soldiers' final moments were played to the court. It was held in a Diplock court with a judge but no jury – a measure designed to prevent intimidation of
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ended the automatic use of non-jury trials for scheduled offences but they are still used in Northern Ireland upon certification by the Director of Public Prosecutions on a case-by-case basis.
225:'s (IRA's) long-term aim of making "the Six Counties ... ungovernable except by colonial military rule". This was a central pillar of the "Long War" strategy set out in the 1977 256:
in Diplock courts were not considerably higher than in jury trials. Between 1984 and 1986 the conviction rate was 51%, compared to 49% for jury trials in Northern Ireland and 50% in
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announced that the Diplock courts were to be phased out, and in August 2006 they announced that the courts were to be abolished effective July 2007. This was achieved under the
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Use of a Diplock court in Northern Ireland where a judge hears cases without a jury is normally reserved for terrorism matters where jurors could be intimidated.
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and "connected with the affairs of Northern Ireland". The act seeks to address the concerns which led to the establishment of Diplock courts by enhancing
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provided it was committed either from a motive of "religious or political hostility" or by on behalf of a group which is both proscribed under the
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Former British soldier Dennis Hutchings has been given leave to appeal to the Supreme Court against a decision to try him in a Diplock Court.
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Two years later, Lord Gardiner's review of the removal of trial by jury included attempts to bolster Diplock's findings as follows:
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in August 1971). In his report, Diplock cited two primary reasons for his recommendation that jury trials should be suspended:
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underpinning the peace process included a British commitment to "security normalisation" including abolition of Diplock courts.
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could specify a jury trial of a particular case, so that for example a non-political murder would not use the Diplock courts.
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They were tried in a 'diplock court' by a judge with no jury; common in Northern Ireland for crimes connected to terrorism.
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Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973 s4; Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) (Amendment) Act 1975 s6(1)
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ruled that slaps of the hand were permissible and not a form of torture or "degrading and inhumane treatment".
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pressed for this in the agreement negotiations, arguing that lack of juries denied accused republicans of the
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paramilitaries. In the first case in which a person not associated with the Troubles was tried and convicted,
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Report of the Commission to consider legal procedures to deal with terrorist activities in Northern Ireland
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Report of the Commission to Consider Legal Procedures to deal with Terrorist Activities in Northern Ireland
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and paramilitary ceasefires of the latter 1990s, that figure fell to 60 a year in the mid-2000s. The 1998
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abolished the idea of "scheduled offences" automatically tried without a jury. Instead it allows for the
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had power to direct a particular case, or class of cases, or part of a case, to be heard elsewhere.
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and subsequent renewals), continued as the basis for counter-terrorist legislation in the UK.
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Technically, the Diplock court was not a specially constituted court, but rather an ordinary
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until that was abolished in 1975). A Diplock Crown Court usually sat in Belfast but the
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sympathiser, was found guilty of having information that could assist bombing an
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relating to explosives, firearms, rioting, and subversion, as defined under the
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of specified serious crimes ("scheduled offences"). They were introduced by the
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The establishment of the Diplock Courts can be seen as an early example of the
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The list of scheduled offences required to be tried by Diplock court included:
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Counter Terrorist Law and Emergency Powers in the United Kingdom 1922–2000
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The courts were established in response to a report submitted to the
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The Provisional Irish Republican Army and the Morality of Terrorism
636: 618: 247: 243: 962: 462: 333: 250:. A sentence of six years was handed down on 20 December 2005. 101: 875:"Judge-only trials urged amid 'unique risk of jury tampering'" 553:, Lord Diplock, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1972, page 17 109: 459:"Two jailed for life for killing policeman Stephen Carroll" 113: 747:"Northern Ireland's Diplock courts to be abolished soon" 431:: Republic of Ireland's equivalent of the Diplock courts 682:"Replacement Arrangements for the Diplock Court System" 511:
Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1978 s.6(1)
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Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1974
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Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland
319:to prevent intimidation, and increasing randomised 840:"Brian Shivers found guilty of Massereene murders" 715: 713: 711: 709: 1006:Former courts and tribunals in the United Kingdom 687:(consultation paper). August 2006. Archived from 997: 908:British plan to abolish Diplock courts next year 301:Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 282:Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 203:Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973 59:Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 47:Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973 706: 958:"Patrick Kane, Sean Kelly and Michael Timmons" 980:Loyalists: War and Peace in Northern Ireland 334:List of famous cases tried in Diplock courts 287: 158:, which addressed the issue of dealing with 27:Non-jury criminal courts in Northern Ireland 1036:Courts and tribunals disestablished in 2007 856:"Ex-soldier appeals Diplock Court decision" 660:. Edinburgh University Press. p. 171. 648: 646: 1026:2007 disestablishments in Northern Ireland 519: 517: 234:Diplock courts mainly tried republican or 205:, which, although later amended (with the 926:"Christy Walsh: a miscarriage of justice" 497: 495: 1031:Courts and tribunals established in 1973 837: 652: 643: 453: 451: 449: 185:, "of which we have had ample evidence". 1021:1973 establishments in Northern Ireland 966:, HC Deb 15 March 1995 vol 256 cc874-82 744: 514: 73:. From 1991 the relevant court was the 14: 998: 804: 539:5185); full text of the Diplock Report 526: 492: 87:Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland 903: 901: 446: 140:Attorney General for Northern Ireland 919: 337: 307:to certify a non-jury trial for any 128:Offences against the Person Act 1861 71:criminal court before a single judge 838:McDonald, Henry (20 January 2012). 764: 674: 632:"Al-Qaeda terror suspect is jailed" 614:"Al-Qaeda terror suspect convicted" 604:, Syracuse University Press, p. 23. 601:The Long War: The IRA and Sinn Féin 24: 898: 771:"Jury trials 'to become the norm'" 160:physical force Irish republicanism 25: 1047: 223:Provisional Irish Republican Army 138:For some scheduled offences, the 745:Bowcott, Owen (11 August 2006). 341: 1016:The Troubles (Northern Ireland) 969: 951: 939: 829: 798: 780: 738: 625: 607: 592: 579: 566: 556: 542: 505: 472: 262:Northern Ireland peace process 64: 13: 1: 587:Abolishing the Diplock Courts 440: 132:Explosive Substances Act 1883 936:, British Irish Rights Watch 7: 422: 81:(alternatively the Belfast 10: 1052: 183:jurors had been threatened 145: 49:and used for serious and 294:Criminal Justice Act 2003 288:Post-2007 non-jury trials 162:through means other than 124:Malicious Damage Act 1861 77:; before that it was the 948:. Relatives for Justice] 932:16 February 2007 at the 396:Milltown Cemetery attack 276:. On 1 August 2005, the 1011:Law of Northern Ireland 813:Oxford University Press 572:Donohue, Laura (2007), 435:Court of Castle Chamber 328:Northern Ireland Office 278:Northern Ireland Office 79:Belfast City Commission 805:Walker, Clive (2011). 792:www.legislation.gov.uk 725:www.legislation.gov.uk 429:Special Criminal Court 382:, who perpetrated the 219: 53:-related cases during 808:Terrorism and the Law 465:News. 30 March 2012. 384:Shankill Road bombing 274:right to a fair trial 266:Good Friday Agreement 214: 982:. TV Books, p. 158. 694:on 29 September 2006 355:adding missing items 168:had been implemented 154:in December 1972 by 858:. 11 September 2018 585:Greer & White, 176:perverse acquittals 98:common law offences 881:. 29 December 2017 640:, 20 December 2005 622:, 24 November 2005 488:. 7 November 2022. 402:corporals killings 390:Christy Walsh case 353:; you can help by 313:Terrorism Act 2000 309:indictable offence 120:statutory offences 879:Belfast Telegraph 822:978-0-19-956117-9 654:Shanahan, Timothy 598:Brendan O'Brien, 485:Belfast Telegraph 416:Justice McGonigal 375:Shankill Butchers 371: 370: 323:to prevent bias. 317:jurors' anonymity 258:England and Wales 16:(Redirected from 1043: 991: 973: 967: 955: 949: 943: 937: 923: 917: 916:, 11 August 2006 905: 896: 893: 888: 886: 870: 865: 863: 851: 833: 827: 826: 802: 796: 795: 784: 778: 777:, 11 August 2006 768: 762: 761: 759: 757: 742: 736: 735: 733: 731: 717: 704: 703: 701: 699: 693: 686: 678: 672: 671: 650: 641: 629: 623: 611: 605: 596: 590: 583: 577: 570: 564: 560: 554: 546: 540: 530: 524: 521: 512: 509: 503: 499: 490: 489: 476: 470: 469: 455: 366: 363: 345: 344: 338: 254:Conviction rates 83:Recorder's Court 39:Northern Ireland 21: 1051: 1050: 1046: 1045: 1044: 1042: 1041: 1040: 996: 995: 994: 974: 970: 956: 952: 944: 940: 934:Wayback Machine 924: 920: 913:The Irish Times 906: 899: 884: 882: 873: 861: 859: 854: 834: 830: 823: 803: 799: 786: 785: 781: 775:BBC News Online 769: 765: 755: 753: 743: 739: 729: 727: 719: 718: 707: 697: 695: 691: 684: 680: 679: 675: 668: 651: 644: 630: 626: 612: 608: 597: 593: 584: 580: 571: 567: 561: 557: 547: 543: 531: 527: 522: 515: 510: 506: 500: 493: 478: 477: 473: 457: 456: 447: 443: 425: 367: 361: 358: 342: 336: 321:juror selection 290: 217:juries ... 196:as part of the 194:Minority Report 190:Gerald Gardiner 148: 67: 35:criminal courts 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 1049: 1039: 1038: 1033: 1028: 1023: 1018: 1013: 1008: 993: 992: 968: 950: 938: 918: 897: 895: 894: 871: 852: 828: 821: 815:. 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Index

Diplock Courts
criminal courts
Northern Ireland
non-jury trial
Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1973
terrorism
the Troubles
Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007
criminal court before a single judge
Crown Court
Belfast City Commission
Recorder's Court
Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
common law offences
murder
manslaughter
arson
riot
statutory offences
Malicious Damage Act 1861
Offences against the Person Act 1861
Explosive Substances Act 1883
Attorney General for Northern Ireland
UK Parliament
Lord Diplock
physical force Irish republicanism
internment
had been implemented
perverse acquittals
jurors had been threatened

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