Silent office is no stranger to controversy

SINCE it was established in 1974, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has been embroiled in many controversies, mainly when a decision is taken not to prosecute or when the prosecution goes wrong, as it did in yesterday’s Curtin case.

The independence of the DPP’s office was expressly stipulated in the Act and has been jealously guarded by the two holders of the office, Eamonn Barnes (who held the position for 25 years) and James Hamilton, who succeeded him in September 1999.

During his tenure, Mr Barnes had an unwavering policy of never giving reasons for his decisions, a policy that has attracted a lot of bitter criticism over the years. The most stand-out case was that of Malcolm MacArthur, the man convicted of the murder of a young nurse Bridie Gargan in 1980.