Efforts under way to hear inquest of ex-IRA man Kevin McGuigan next May despite delays

The father of nine was shot at Comber Court in the Short Strand, Belfast, in August 2015.

He was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital, but he died from his wounds.

Mr McGuigan’s death followed the murder of Jock Davison in the Markets area of the city three months earlier.

Mr Davison was an ex-IRA commander and former friend of Mr McGuigan.

Coroner Paddy McGurgan told Belfast Coroner’s Court yesterday that he hopes to hear the inquest next May despite restrictions on courts amid the coronavirus pandemic and delays around the disclosure of sensitive material from the PSNI.

Philip Henry, counsel for the coroner, told the hearing that non-sensitive material has been received, but they are awaiting the disclosure of a quantity of sensitive material.

Peter Coll, counsel for the PSNI, said there have been delays in disclosing sensitive material to a number of non-legacy inquests.

“That currently is problematic in terms of resource allocations on the part of the PSNI … this is an ongoing issue in respect of more general point across the piece,” he said.

“What I can say is that it is something that the police are working on, to try to ascertain further resources in that regard, not just in this inquest, other non legacy inquests involving sensitive materials that are currently being serviced.”

The coroner said he is “acutely aware” of the general issue and will be meeting with senior police officers.

“It is not peculiar unfortunately to the McGuigan death,” he said.

The coroner said it remains his hope to hear the inquest next May.

“I don’t want to give a date today because I am subject to this pandemic and therefore I don’t want to say for certain it is going to happen on a certain date and then disappoint in particular the family, so I am working towards a date in May,” he said.

Another preliminary hearing will take place on November 26.

Mr McGuigan’s death in 2015 led then PSNI chief constable George Hamilton to state that the Provisional IRA still existed and some of its members were involved in the murder.

Mr Hamilton said that “some of the Provisional IRA structure from the 1990s remains broadly in place” but its purpose “has radically changed since this period”

The police assessment, he said, was that the Provisional IRA remains committed to politics and was not engaged in terrorism.