Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:27 pm Post subject: Government Apologises: McKie Family Statement
On behalf of Shirley and our family I am extremely pleased to announce that yesterday in the Scottish Parliament, Kenny MacAskill, the Secretary for Justice, and the Lord Advocate the Rt. Hon Frank Mulholland, met with Shirley and myself and apologised.
Mr MacAskill stated that he was, ‘sorry on behalf of the Scottish Government’, that she had been wrongly accused and that our family had been exposed to the trauma of the past 14 years. He hoped that the Fingerprint Inquiry Report and the action the Government would be taking would help ensure that this never happened to anyone again. The Lord Advocate was ‘sorry’ that Shirley had been prosecuted and hoped that if the same circumstances arose again the mistakes of the past would not be repeated. It was a particular pleasure for us that Alex Neil and Mike Russell, politicians who had stood shoulder to shoulder with Shirley for over a decade, were also present.
It is hard for us to truly express our feelings on hearing Government representatives saying that one simple word, ‘sorry’. While we wish it had been uttered in 1999 after Shirley was unanimously acquitted of perjury it never the less marks a watershed for us and we are now satisfied that it is time to let go of the past and move on.
Things do remain to be done and we hope that the fingerprint and forensic communities sit up and take notice of what is happening in Scotland without engaging in the fiction, ‘It could never happen here’.
Individual thanks are due to experts David Grieve, Pat Wertheim, Ed German, Arie Zeelenberg, Allan Bayle, Les Bush, Gary Dempster, John McGregor, John Dingwall and the hundreds of their colleagues at home and abroad who have stood by us over the years. You will not be forgotten.
That the government apologies should take place on the 25th January, the birth date of Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns, was particularly poignant as we had used his words to front our campaign.
Quote:
‘There’s nane ever fear’d that the truth should be heard but they whom the truth would indite.’
Our heartfelt thanks to all those who supported Shirley and our family and we thought it would be appropriate to sign off with the thoughts of an American poet John Greenleaf Whittier who was heavily influenced by Burns – in the end all we are left with is forgiveness.
Quote:
My heart was heavy, for its trust had been
Abused, its kindness answered with foul wrong;
So, turning gloomily from my fellow-men,
One summer Sabbath day I strolled among
The green mounds of the village burial-place;
Where, pondering how all human love and hate
Find one sad level; and how, soon or late,
Wronged and wrongdoer, each with meekened face,
And cold hands folded over a still heart,
Pass the green threshold of our common grave,
Whither all footsteps tend, whence none depart,
Awed for myself, and pitying my race,
Our common sorrow, like a mighty wave,
Swept all my pride away, and trembling I forgave!
Last edited by Iain McKie on Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:43 am; edited 2 times in total
Well done Iain on the outcome for Shirley and the family. _________________ "I hear much of people calling to punish the guilty, but few are concerned to clear the innocent" Daniel Defoe 1661-1731
Iain, I have followed this all the way along. Indeed, it was the main reason I joined this site.
This past fourteen years has been a nightmare for you, and of course, particularly Shirley.
But the end result is the result it should have been a long time ago - thus sparing you all the trauma and worry.
Congratulations to you and to Shirley. I am so pleased about the outcome. The biggest thing is that you got a definite apology and Shirley hopefully can move forward without this hanging over her mind too.
Well done! _________________ “Send not to know for whom the bell tolls – it tolls for thee.” John Donne.
Very fitting indeed - that picture of her thumb speaks volumes when we know what passed before. _________________ “Send not to know for whom the bell tolls – it tolls for thee.” John Donne.
Another person who should be apologising to the McKie's would be Ken Macintosh MSP I would suggest.
Any refusal should make his position as an MSP untenable.
Report 'vindicates' McKie experts
One of the fingerprint experts in the Shirley McKie case welcomed a Holyrood report's which said there was no evidence of malice on their part.
Ms McBride still works for the SCRO
Fiona McBride was one of the four experts who identified a print at a murder scene as Ms McKie's.
The report was also welcomed by trade union Unison and MSP Ken Macintosh, who have backed the Scottish Criminal Records Office (SCRO) employees.
Ms McBride said she had been vindicated and called for a judicial inquiry.
Ms McKie, a former detective from Troonin Ayrshire, received a £750,000 out-of-court settlement after being cleared of committing perjury.
Criminal conspiracy
She had been accused of leaving a fingerprint at a murder scene but challenged the evidence of the experts.
A report by MSPs on the Justice 1 Committee heavily criticised the management of the Scottish Fingerprint Service but said the officers involved had not acted maliciously.
Ms McBride said: "The salient points were that we weren't malicious or vindictive.
"We have been vindicated and it's still the case that all the marks that were disputed, so called, where we were supposed to be in error, were all found to be correct by SCRO.
"The only one that they haven't looked at is Y7."
Ms McBride is still working for the SCRO and intends to remain there, despite moves to reach a settlement for her departure.
Unison, the trade union that represented the four fingerprint staff, gave the report a cautious welcome.
Kath Ryall, Unison regional officer, said: "We are pleased that the inquiry has confirmed yet again that our members have no criminal conspiracy case to answer.
"Our members have spent nine years being suspended, investigated, accused of malicious conspiracy and had the best possibility of them clearing their name - the court case - dashed from them at the last minute by deals between the McKies and the Scottish Executive.
"At least this inquiry has given them the opportunity to have their say."
Apology call
She said the four experts had identified the fingerprint according to the rules and procedures that were in place at the time.
Ken Macintosh, the Labour MSP for Eastwood, represents three of the fingerprint experts.
He said those who had accused them of making a mistake should now apologise.
He said: "This is not the first inquiry to clear these officers of any wrongdoing, but I hope it is the last.
"For almost a decade now, these officers have had to put up with a series of allegations and accusations that have once more been demonstrated to be entirely without foundation."
Mr Macintosh has made several statements over the years publicly about Shirley McKie and these so called "experts". You would think that after being so outspoken he would now apologise like the Government already has.
Quote:
Labour MSP Ken Macintosh, who has supported some of the fingerprint staff, told BBC Scotland they had been shown the door and prevented from speaking out. He said: "Six officers, who have given long years of public service, have been investigated over and over again and have always been cleared. "Yet what is happening is that they're being shown the door and forced to sign contracts in which they are gagged and not allowed to speak about this case in public.
"They are not being offered any kind of decent enhancement and the contrast between their treatment and the £750,000 paid to Shirley McKie is disgraceful." The Scottish Fingerprint Service is now set to be taken over by the new Scottish Police Services Authority.
Eastwood MSP Ken Macintosh, who represents some of the experts, said the Executive had left them "high and dry". He added: "This is the first opportunity the officers have had to actually speak up about this case."
He said the experts had wanted their day in court and felt "cheated" that was denied them by the Executive's decision to settle with Ms McKie.
He added: "Now they've had the first opportunity to speak up and anybody who chooses to listen will have heard the truth being spoken."
Again my thanks for the support but I don't expect any apologies from the experts or Mr. McIntosh. I find this a sad reflection on them. To err is human and to apologise is an act of courage and integrity. It is a pity this is too much for them.
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