McGeough victim's anger at challenge to conviction

The intended victim of the murder attempt carried out by Gerry McGeough has spoken of his anger at efforts to have the conviction overturned.
Sammy BrushSammy Brush
Sammy Brush

Sammy Brush was commenting after it emerged that McGeough has applied to have his case examined by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

In 2011, McGeough was sentenced to 20 years in prison for a gun attack on Mr Brush 30 years earlier, however, he served only two years under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

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“He has tried everything, even the Supreme Court. It is taking money out of the taxpayers’ pockets, but he is quite happy to do that.

“If only there was the same money spent on the victims of terrorism as is spent defending the indefensible. It is an absolute and utter disgrace that that’s the way the system is,” Mr Brush said.

On Friday, a spokesman for the CCRC confirmed an application had been received from McGeough in October 2015, but was “currently in a queue of cases” waiting to be assessed – and will only be reviewed if new, relevant evidence has come to light.

Fewer than five per cent of cases are referred back to the Court of Appeal by the CCRC, and a quarter of those referred result in the conviction being upheld.

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