Bloody Sunday reserve judge resigns

A reserve judge at the Bloody Sunday inquiry in Derry resigned today because of ill health.

Canadian judge Mr Justice William Esson told Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid in a resignation letter that he was following doctor’s advice.

Mr Justice Esson, who is quitting before the inquiry resumes on September 3 after a summer break, said doctors in Vancouver had told him he should resign because of his health.

"I have reluctantly concluded that I should follow that advice and for that reason resign my position," he wrote to Dr Reid.

"I now write to advise you accordingly, which I do with great regret."

The British Government said it would not replace the reserve judge, who was appointed last November, because the inquiry was at an advanced stage.

As a reserve judge, Mr Justice Esson’s task was to sit in the hearing’s chamber in Derry’s Guildhall and observe the proceedings and to review the written evidence.

An inquiry statement said his role did not enable him to contribute to tribunal decisions or seek to influence them.

The tribunal was set up by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in January 1998 after a campaign by the relatives of the 13 people killed by Paratroopers in Derry at a civil rights march on January 30, 1972.

They and their supporters believed the Widgery Tribunal, held shortly after the shootings, did not establish the truth about what happened on Bloody Sunday.

The new inquiry has been sitting in public for the past year and is expected to run for another two years.

The tribunal, chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate, also involves former Canadian Chief Justice William Hoyt and former Australian High Court judge John Toohey.

The decision was regretted by Lord Saville.

"We are saddened to learn of Mr Justice Esson’s resignation and are concerned for his health.

"We are grateful for his services to the inquiry and wish him well for the future."

The oral hearings first started in March last year.

But it is expected that Lord Saville will not complete his report before the end of 2003 at the earliest.

Hearings involving a total of 268 civilian witnesses have been held on 133 days at Derry’s Guildhall.

Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, who has already admitted being the IRA’s second-in-command in the city on the day of the shootings, will be among those expected to give evidence later this year or early in 2002.

The tribunal has so far cost an estimated £45m.