:00:00. > 3:59:59soon. That is all from the BBC News at Six, goodbye from me. On BBC One
:00:00. > :00:21.we now Good evening, on BBC Newsline. Peter
:00:22. > :00:25.Robinson threatens to resign as First Minister in the row over On
:00:26. > :00:28.the Runs. If Ian Paisley and I had been round
:00:29. > :00:31.the table and told this is what the Government was doing to do, we
:00:32. > :00:35.wouldn't have entered into Government. We will have reaction
:00:36. > :00:40.from Stormont, also from the common, we will have more on the secret
:00:41. > :00:44.letter, sent to paramilitary suspects by Government officials. We
:00:45. > :00:48.will hear from the Justice Minister who said he is demanding answers
:00:49. > :00:52.from the Secretary of State. Also on the programme.
:00:53. > :00:56.An apology to the families of 11 vulnerable adults at care home,
:00:57. > :01:03.after an investigation confirms allegations of abuse.
:01:04. > :01:09.The First Minister Peter Robinson has threatened to resign if there is
:01:10. > :01:14.no judicial inquiry into the secret letters, sent to more than 180
:01:15. > :01:17.paramilitary suspects which contained an assurance they would
:01:18. > :01:21.not be prosecuted. The DUP leader said he could not
:01:22. > :01:25.remain in a power-sharing Government, being kept in the dark
:01:26. > :01:29.on such an important matter. The revelation about the On the Run
:01:30. > :01:34.letters came about yesterday, with the collapse of the trial of John
:01:35. > :01:39.Downey. A County Donegal man charged with the murders of soldiers during
:01:40. > :01:44.the Hyde Park bombling in London, by the IRA, in 1982. -- bombing. The
:01:45. > :01:48.judge accepted the case could not go ahead because seven years ago John
:01:49. > :01:52.Downey had received alert, containing that assurance.
:01:53. > :01:56.-- a letter. Our political editor is with me. You have been speaking to
:01:57. > :02:02.the First Minister Peter Robinson, he has threatened to resigned. He
:02:03. > :02:05.was physically angry today Yes, he expressed outrage in a written
:02:06. > :02:09.statement yesterday after the John Downey case judgment was published.
:02:10. > :02:13.Today, he made it clear that he still continued to feel that sense
:02:14. > :02:16.of anger, didn't use the word resign, but he said that his
:02:17. > :02:20.position was basically not tenable, if he was kept in the dark about
:02:21. > :02:25.justice matters of such an important kind. He said that a hole had been
:02:26. > :02:29.blown in the middle of the Haass process, this is what he said he
:02:30. > :02:35.felt had to happen. Indicated that I am not prepared to
:02:36. > :02:38.be kept in the dark by Her Majesty's Government in London, about matters
:02:39. > :02:45.which are relevant to Northern Ireland. That means I want a full
:02:46. > :02:50.judicial inquiry, into all of these matters, so that we can see who
:02:51. > :02:55.knew, when they knew, and what they knew. Those are vital questions to
:02:56. > :02:59.be asked, and answered. I want to know who the 187 people are that
:03:00. > :03:03.received these letter, if indeed it is only 187 people, because I
:03:04. > :03:07.wouldn't believe anything I hear any longer. But I want to know who they
:03:08. > :03:11.are, what crimes they were believed to have committed, because don't
:03:12. > :03:15.forget justice isn't just about whether the police that the moment
:03:16. > :03:20.in time have sufficient evidence to make a prosecution stick, because as
:03:21. > :03:24.time goes on, forensics may change, new evidence may come in, where a
:03:25. > :03:27.prosecution could take place. So it is absolutely vital that nobody is
:03:28. > :03:32.allowed though they can get away with it. That sip why I want all of
:03:33. > :03:36.the letters resinned. So you call for them to be rescind and a full
:03:37. > :03:41.judicial inquiry into this matter, your deputy has said that the very
:03:42. > :03:45.existence of devolution is at threat here, if you don't get what you
:03:46. > :03:48.want, what are your options? I am going to get it. I am not prepared
:03:49. > :03:52.to be the head of a government that is kept in the dark in this way, I
:03:53. > :03:57.want there to be full disclosure, I want the people to know what has
:03:58. > :04:00.gone on, let me be very clear, if Ian Paisley and I had been told this
:04:01. > :04:04.is what the Government was going to do, we wouldn't have entered into
:04:05. > :04:09.Government. That would not have been an acceptable basis for us to enter
:04:10. > :04:12.into Government with Sinn Fein. Martin McGuinness took to social
:04:13. > :04:16.media to respond to that. Sinn Fein tried to keep things cool Yes,
:04:17. > :04:21.Martin McGuinness and Peter Robinson share a castle behind us, but this
:04:22. > :04:24.being the modern age of social media Martin McGuinness took to Twitter to
:04:25. > :04:28.tell Peter Robinson to calm down, the DUP not going to listen to that,
:04:29. > :04:31.but that has been the message from Sinn Fein, that everybody they say
:04:32. > :04:39.knew who was involved in the peace process, that this issue had to be
:04:40. > :04:41.dealt W here is Alex maxi. It is foolish to make this type of
:04:42. > :04:45.statement under these circumstance, we have had very very severe
:04:46. > :04:48.disorder on the street, all of last year, but really any talk about
:04:49. > :04:52.resignation really misses the point, what we have to do is party, and
:04:53. > :04:57.that includes Peter Robinson's party, we need to get back to
:04:58. > :05:03.implementing the Haass proposals. The question has been doing the
:05:04. > :05:08.rounds, Mark, what did the unionist and particular the DUP know about
:05:09. > :05:12.this On the Run process? I raised with Peter Robinson a quote from a
:05:13. > :05:15.book by Jonathan Powell who was Tony Blair's Chief of Staff which implied
:05:16. > :05:18.that the DUP knew that concessions were being made in relation to On
:05:19. > :05:22.the Runs but were happy as long as it was generally felt that this was
:05:23. > :05:27.done on David Trimbleable's watch. Peter Robinson said this was wrong,
:05:28. > :05:31.said that the document that was referred to didn't include anything
:05:32. > :05:37.about On the Run, there are those who harbour doubts, including gym
:05:38. > :05:39.alster from the T UV and the former vice-chair of the Policing Board
:05:40. > :05:46.Dennis Bradley. I am a bit surprised because it, was
:05:47. > :05:51.a briefing to the Policing Board, if you real the consultative group, it
:05:52. > :05:54.was referred to there, so it is in the public domain that the level and
:05:55. > :06:00.it is reasonably well described in how it should be and shouldn't be
:06:01. > :06:03.dealt with. I hear what they say but I am surprised. If they didn't,
:06:04. > :06:08.given they were in close negotiations, with the Government,
:06:09. > :06:12.then it seems a failure on their part to fully interrogate the issues
:06:13. > :06:17.that lay at the heart of the negotiation to get both Sinn Fein
:06:18. > :06:20.and DUP in the Government, maybe it was a bit of we don't want to know
:06:21. > :06:24.because we are very anxious as the DUP was, to get into Government with
:06:25. > :06:27.Sinn Fein, and now it is all coming home to roost. We will talk more
:06:28. > :06:32.later in the programme. To the Commons next, where some MPs voiced
:06:33. > :06:36.their great anger at the collapse of the John Downey care, and also the
:06:37. > :06:41.revelation about those secret letters, to On the Run paramilitary
:06:42. > :06:46.suspects. Our political reporter Stephen Walker listened to what was
:06:47. > :06:49.at times a heated debate. It was cones dental today was Northern
:06:50. > :06:54.Ireland Question Time in the House, and naturally many local MPs wanted
:06:55. > :06:59.to talk about the John Downey case. This has very very serious
:07:00. > :07:04.implications for devolution. That anger was shared across the bench,
:07:05. > :07:09.We need to assure people we haven't ended the dirty war to end up with a
:07:10. > :07:13.dirty peace. Is that not even more imperative, after yesterday's
:07:14. > :07:17.revelations? They prove that some of us were right when we warned the
:07:18. > :07:22.right honourable member that they were blighting the peace process
:07:23. > :07:29.with a penchant for side deal, sub deal, shabby deals and secret deals.
:07:30. > :07:32.The issue was raised during Prime Minister's Question Time We should
:07:33. > :07:36.be clear the man should never have received the letter that he
:07:37. > :07:41.received. It was a dreadful mistake, and a mistake that we now need to
:07:42. > :07:43.have a rapid factual review to make sure this cannot happen good
:07:44. > :07:47.afternoon. Whatever happens we have to stick to the principle we are a
:07:48. > :07:53.country and a government, under the rule of law.
:07:54. > :07:56.The Attorney General confirmed 38 people received letters during this
:07:57. > :08:01.current Conservative liberal administration.
:08:02. > :08:11.Many said the affair raised dons -- dozens of questions Can I Miguel
:08:12. > :08:15.Jiminez to disabuse members... Accepted by them as opposed to this
:08:16. > :08:20.deal, which was shabbily driven through behind the backs of even the
:08:21. > :08:25.representatives in this Parliament. Others had concerns about what the
:08:26. > :08:28.knock on effect of the John Downey case might be. Given these awful
:08:29. > :08:33.events the Government thinks long and hard about the perception
:08:34. > :08:37.apparent if we are giving an amnesty to one group while but suring other,
:08:38. > :08:43.like potentially the soldiers involved in the Bloody Sunday
:08:44. > :08:48.incident. So can my right honourable friend confirm that reconciliation
:08:49. > :08:52.and justice and forgiveness applies to both sides, not one. It is clear
:08:53. > :08:56.that the John Downey case has ramifications well beyond the
:08:57. > :09:00.confines of Parliament. It throws up a series of political and legal
:09:01. > :09:05.questions, one MP said to me tonight, they also think it changes
:09:06. > :09:14.the way the past will be debated in Northern Ireland.
:09:15. > :09:19.And we will return to Donna at Stormont Castle later. The issue of
:09:20. > :09:23.On the Runs has been the subject of political negotiations for more than
:09:24. > :09:31.a decade. Mark Simpson has been looking back at what went on in
:09:32. > :09:38.public, and in private. Yes, 71.12%. Less than two months
:09:39. > :09:41.after the yes vote in 1998, private enegotiations began about the On the
:09:42. > :09:46.Runs. The issue was raised during long
:09:47. > :09:51.negotiations at Hillsborough Castle and western park. By 2001, Sinn Fein
:09:52. > :09:55.and the Government had agreed a private process, in which Sinn Fein
:09:56. > :10:01.provided some names, and the authorities checked out whether or
:10:02. > :10:05.not they were on a wanted list. The court judgment in the John
:10:06. > :10:09.Downey case says round this time Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams told the
:10:10. > :10:13.Government he wanted an invisible process for dealing with OTRs but
:10:14. > :10:19.Shepped the Government had no alternative to legislate on the
:10:20. > :10:23.issue. So in 2005, the then Secretary of State Peter Hain
:10:24. > :10:29.published draft legislation, but the bill was later withdrawn. So no over
:10:30. > :10:33.all deal but in the wake of the St Andrew's talks in 2006 Tony Blair
:10:34. > :10:36.wrote a private letter to Gerry Adams and assured him "Before I
:10:37. > :10:41.leave office I am committed to finding a scheme that will resolve
:10:42. > :10:47.all the remaining cases." And so in February 2007, the police began a
:10:48. > :10:54.review of all the On the Run cases, it was codenamed Operation Rapid.
:10:55. > :10:58.In May Stormont returned and brought the DUP and Sinn Fein together at
:10:59. > :11:03.the head of a new power-sharing executive. Two months later a letter
:11:04. > :11:07.was sent to Sinn Fein negotiator Gerry Kelly about the case of John
:11:08. > :11:12.Downey. It said John Downey was not wanted by the police.
:11:13. > :11:17.He thought he was then three to go where he pleased but last year he
:11:18. > :11:21.was arrested at Gatwick Airport, while en route to Greece. But when
:11:22. > :11:27.the private letter was produced the case against him collapsed and it
:11:28. > :11:31.turned out that 186 others received similar letters.
:11:32. > :11:35.The Secretary of State explained more today in the House of Commons.
:11:36. > :11:39.These letters set out in fact eventual way whether individuals
:11:40. > :11:42.were believed to be wanted by the police in Northern Ireland, or
:11:43. > :11:47.elsewhere in the UK. The current government looked at the scheme in
:11:48. > :11:52.2012, and decided future inquiries should be sent to the devolved
:11:53. > :11:56.administration in line with the Emmanuel Adebayor minute straights
:11:57. > :11:59.of police and justice. It has been controversial for almost two
:12:00. > :12:03.decades, in public and private. Now it is threatening the very future of
:12:04. > :12:08.Stormont. -- the administration. So what has
:12:09. > :12:13.been the reaction from victims? Mervyn Jess gauges reaction from
:12:14. > :12:17.Republican and loyalist communities. What is left of Crumlin Road
:12:18. > :12:20.courthouse in Belfast. It was here throughout the years of conflict
:12:21. > :12:25.that many terrorist suspects were brought before a judge, convicted
:12:26. > :12:31.and sentenced. For the families of victims who haven't had their day in
:12:32. > :12:34.court, news of the OTRs letters of assurance, stating they won't be
:12:35. > :12:38.prosecuted has come as a heavy blow I have spoken to a number of people
:12:39. > :12:41.who have said hang on a minute, autumn these different organisations
:12:42. > :12:46.and agencies appear to have been involved in this. Who can we trust
:12:47. > :12:52.now to tell us the truth? The Government of the day in 2006-2007
:12:53. > :12:57.entered into what can only be described as a grubby secretive deal
:12:58. > :13:02.with terrorist, and as far as our widows in Northern Ireland are
:13:03. > :13:07.concerned, that is our RUC widow, they are in a state of despair and
:13:08. > :13:13.disbelief. Republicans say the OTRs at issue
:13:14. > :13:19.number less than 200, which they stress is minuscule, compared to the
:13:20. > :13:26.25 to 30,000 IRA prisoners who went through the jails. It was flagged up
:13:27. > :13:31.to the British, way back in 1998, that some sort of a process would
:13:32. > :13:39.have to be put in place to deal with the people who are, the OTRs, the
:13:40. > :13:45.people who are on the run for one reason or another, and the process
:13:46. > :13:54.that was agreed, they are calling it a secret deal now, but to be honest
:13:55. > :14:01.with you, you know, most of the people in our community would have
:14:02. > :14:06.been knowledgeable about it. The PUP say they didn't take part in the
:14:07. > :14:12.discussionser Shea say it is further evidence of Republicans getting
:14:13. > :14:15.leniency while loyalists are targeted It unjust people on the run
:14:16. > :14:18.are allowed to remain free and people who have served life
:14:19. > :14:22.sentences and been taken back, loyalist have been taken back to
:14:23. > :14:26.prison do another sentence after having served a life sentence. Many
:14:27. > :14:29.families are feeling let down, there is a lack of justice, of
:14:30. > :14:34.acknowledgement, going forward and the whole question of dealing with
:14:35. > :14:38.the past as a question has yet to be answered. The scales of justice no
:14:39. > :14:41.longer swinal at crumb lip road, even if they did there are some
:14:42. > :14:56.suspects who would never be before a court. Earlier, the secretary of
:14:57. > :15:06.state said that the case of the On the Runs has been evolved here. It
:15:07. > :15:08.does not mean me. She said that and appear to be talking about the
:15:09. > :15:14.police and Public prosecution service. She did and make that on
:15:15. > :15:20.her watch, these letters were issued. Yesterday it was presented
:15:21. > :15:28.as if it was something in the past on the Labour government, but to
:15:29. > :15:30.date it was a friend. Do you think to reasonably as have been
:15:31. > :15:45.misleading? I am not saying that, but she has not told the ball truth.
:15:46. > :15:50.You have never seen one of these letters? I have not. The first I
:15:51. > :15:56.knew anything of it was after the court decision last week. And you
:15:57. > :16:01.have never received any of these requests? I have had nothing to do
:16:02. > :16:06.with it. It has been an issue created by being Labour government
:16:07. > :16:11.and continued by the Conservatives. People will be asking why does the
:16:12. > :16:16.justice minister not know about this? You must be asking yourself
:16:17. > :16:23.the same question. There are things that the justice minister don't
:16:24. > :16:38.know, but it is disingenuous for the NAA will to talk about development
:16:39. > :16:43.and then we are not informed. What is your solution to this? What we
:16:44. > :16:50.should have done was happy and open and transparent and honest process
:16:51. > :16:54.where people saw what was happening. We had that sort of example when we
:16:55. > :17:04.have the reduction in sentences, but they were still guilty and out on
:17:05. > :17:08.licence. You certainly got no transparency here. Do you believe
:17:09. > :17:13.that your colleagues in the executive knew about it? I can only
:17:14. > :17:22.go on what Peter Robinson said. It certainly did not pass the
:17:23. > :17:26.Department of Justice. Do you think these letters should be this ended?
:17:27. > :17:32.We need to be careful about talking about rescinding things. There are a
:17:33. > :17:40.lot of legal issues, but the first thing would need to get some truth.
:17:41. > :17:53.Do you disagree with the scheme? I took opposition to it when it was
:17:54. > :17:57.first suggested. The exact length of time people should have been in jail
:17:58. > :18:05.is an issue, but they should not have been an amnesty. If these
:18:06. > :18:12.letters stopped a prosecution taking place, this is something is wrong.
:18:13. > :18:17.How big is the crisis? We need to establish some truth first. People
:18:18. > :18:30.should not be threatening to resign, but the government needs to stand
:18:31. > :18:37.their ground. Vincent Kearney, our home affairs correspondent joins us
:18:38. > :18:51.now. Bps and I have been blamed for this catastrophic mistake. -- bps
:18:52. > :19:00.NI. They insisted the letter sent to John Downey said that he was not
:19:01. > :19:22.wanted by any police force in the UK. Their remit was to do two
:19:23. > :19:27.things. It has been said that the PS and I did not want to arrest John
:19:28. > :19:34.Downey, but they did not go as far as saying he was not wanted by any
:19:35. > :19:41.other police force. There is some confusion around the contents of the
:19:42. > :19:45.letter. The first minister says he wants the case looked up and the
:19:46. > :19:54.letters rescinded. What is the chance of that happening? The Lord
:19:55. > :19:59.justice said that extraordinary events would have two happening for
:20:00. > :20:06.John Downey's case to be reactivated. I spoke to a source
:20:07. > :20:09.yesterday and he said as far as he was concerned, the proceedings
:20:10. > :20:15.against John Downey are dead in the water. He said he has never known of
:20:16. > :20:19.the case thrown out in this way to be reactivated. In terms of the
:20:20. > :20:24.others, we don't know the terms of the letters they receive, but if
:20:25. > :20:32.they are similar, they should be treated the same way and not
:20:33. > :20:36.prosecuted. The families of the families of 11 fallible adults have
:20:37. > :20:41.received an apology from the Western Health Trust after allegations of
:20:42. > :20:47.abuse were confirmed. Ralph's Place is home to 16 men and women. Some
:20:48. > :20:55.enjoyed horrendous physical and verbal abuse. Some members of staff
:20:56. > :20:58.have been suspended. The men and women at the centre of
:20:59. > :21:02.these allegations have severe learning difficulties and for most
:21:03. > :21:08.of their adult life they have been in the care of the Western Health
:21:09. > :21:12.Trust. In 2010, these purpose-built bungalows became their new home. The
:21:13. > :21:15.idea behind the scheme was to give them greater independence and to
:21:16. > :21:22.remove them from institutionalised care. But it was within their home
:21:23. > :21:28.some were physically and verbally abused. A total of 45 allegations
:21:29. > :21:33.were made covering the period from 2010 up until 2012. Of those 22
:21:34. > :21:41.allegations were substantiated, involving several members of staff.
:21:42. > :21:53.Additional issues of concern were noted. In 2011, inspectors found
:21:54. > :21:57.that staff had not completed courses in looking after vulnerable adults.
:21:58. > :22:31.Also, it has been found that: the BBC has been contacted by a
:22:32. > :22:37.whistle-blower who raised a number of disturbing details about the
:22:38. > :22:40.level of alleged abuse, including allegations of physical and verbal
:22:41. > :22:45.abuse and the humiliation of several vulnerable adults. They said they
:22:46. > :22:48.had witnessed unbelievable abuse of the most honourable members of our
:22:49. > :22:53.society who are in our care in the trust. They were afraid to produce
:22:54. > :22:57.the evidence that would have shown the abuse happened as they would
:22:58. > :23:03.lose their jobs. We have met with the families to apologise for any
:23:04. > :23:10.distress and her that has been caused. Police investigation into
:23:11. > :23:18.the allegations claim their was no evidence of wilful neglect. The
:23:19. > :23:22.Public prosecution service directed there should not be any
:23:23. > :23:27.prosecutions. People who work in the field of learning disabilities and
:23:28. > :23:33.work with runnable adults, if they see it happening, come forward. 11
:23:34. > :23:38.members of staff, including management, remain suspended.
:23:39. > :23:44.According to the health trust, a disciplinary process is underway. An
:23:45. > :23:48.Omagh councillor says they are stand following the death of a woman that
:23:49. > :23:55.the police are treating as murder. It follows an incident at a house in
:23:56. > :24:00.the town on Sunday. Mairead McCallion was from Omar and
:24:01. > :24:04.was taken to hospital with head injuries on Sunday. She died the
:24:05. > :24:09.following day. This property in the town has been the focus of the
:24:10. > :24:14.police investigation. Yesterday it was confirmed that a murder enquiry
:24:15. > :24:19.was underway. One local councillor said Mairead McCallion's death had
:24:20. > :24:24.come as a shock. I have the opportunity of visiting her family.
:24:25. > :24:31.They are stand this has happened and the circumstances of her death add
:24:32. > :24:35.further to their distress. They grieving with great dignity and
:24:36. > :24:37.there in immediate concern is getting the remains back so they can
:24:38. > :24:43.proceed with the funeral arrangements. The police have not
:24:44. > :24:48.released details about what happened here. They have asked anyone with
:24:49. > :24:57.information to contact the incident room at Omagh police nation.
:24:58. > :25:02.Back to our main story and Peter Robinson's but to step down as first
:25:03. > :25:12.minister if there is not a judicial enquiry into the scandal surrounding
:25:13. > :25:17.the On the Runs. Our political editor is still with me. He is
:25:18. > :25:24.looking for a judicial enquiry into these On the Runs letters. What is
:25:25. > :25:29.the likelihood? It is a big ask. Since the bloody Sunday enquiry, it
:25:30. > :25:39.has been said that there should be no more long, costly enquiries.
:25:40. > :25:41.Peter Robinson has something that campaigners didn't have before and
:25:42. > :25:46.that is the ability to Paul devolution down. Perhaps the
:25:47. > :25:55.government will have two go some way to beating his demands. We will have
:25:56. > :25:58.an update on the situation on our programme at 10:25pm this evening.
:25:59. > :26:12.There is also more information online. That to the studio.
:26:13. > :26:22.-- back to the studio. Time now for the weather.
:26:23. > :26:27.We have this area of low pressure ringing with it stronger winds. The
:26:28. > :26:31.rain will not be with us that long. It will move across all places but
:26:32. > :26:38.clear away quite quickly do the night. Temperatures down to two or
:26:39. > :26:45.three degrees, but in the countryside it could be colder. The
:26:46. > :26:53.rain will leave behind a scattering of showers. In between, plenty of
:26:54. > :27:02.dry weather. Many of us will get up to good spells of sunshine. You may
:27:03. > :27:09.manage to avoid the showers altogether, but to be prepared.
:27:10. > :27:13.Temperatures typically seven or eight degrees, but in the sunshine
:27:14. > :27:23.and away from the winds we could see 910 degrees. Little changes as we go
:27:24. > :27:32.into the evening. -- nine or 10 degrees. When Terry Butcher 's fall
:27:33. > :27:37.overnight -- when temperatures fall overnight, there could be some
:27:38. > :27:45.frost. Friday will be quite chilly with scattered showers. Similar for
:27:46. > :27:49.Saturday, which will be the best day of the weekend, but if you are
:27:50. > :27:53.planning on Sunday to do anything, do it chewing the first part of the
:27:54. > :28:05.day as low pressure will bring unsettled weather.
:28:06. > :28:06.That if it for now. Goodbye. -- that is it