Inquest date for IRA man shot by police must not be missed, warns judge

The coroners court probe into the shooting of Pearse Jordan in west Belfast in 1992 has been ordered after the findings of an earlier inquest in 2012 were quashed by the High Court.

Justice Horner has been appointed to examine the disputed circumstances of the 21-year-old’s death on the Falls Road.

In 2014, the Jordan family were awarded compensation for the lengthy delay in holding the inquest.

The fresh examination has been listed for four weeks, starting on February 22.

At a preliminary hearing, sitting in Belfast High Court on Thursday, Mr Horner made clear there could be no further delays in the case.

He said the inquest had been fitted into a “very tight” court schedule.

“We can’t afford to miss it,” he said. “It’s very important to keep to the hearing date.”

In the 2012 inquest the jury failed to reach consensus on a number of crucial issues, including whether the Royal Ulster Constabulary used reasonable force.

The findings were quashed after the High Court identified a number of failings in how the investigation was run.

One of the primary issues was the failure to disclose to next of kin a series of top-secret government reports into allegations that the security forces engaged in a shoot-to-kill policy during a period of the Troubles.

The Stalker/Sampson reports will be relied on in the new probe, which is being heard without a jury.