Court refuses access to MI5 files in McKevitt case

The Special Criminal Court today rejected an application by lawyers representing the alleged leader of the Real IRA, Michael McKevitt, for access to secret unedited MI5 documents.

The five documents were flown into Ireland on Monday after Mr McKevitt's lawyers argued that they contained material that was very important to the defence. The court heard that edited versions of the documents had been disclosed to the defence but that in some cases, entire pages had been blacked out.

Mr Justice Richard Johnson, presiding, told Mr Philip McGee QC defending, that the court examined five unedited documents in their entirety. In each case, the court found nothing "which is in any way relevant to the issue before the court", he said.

The court also heard that tapes and transcripts of interviews given by David Rupert, the main witness against Michael McKevitt, to US-based journalists, were now available to the defence. The journalists handed over the interviews, which were in connection with a possible book by Mr Rupert, following an order by a Chicago court.

David Rupert will resume his cross-examination tomorrow.

It was the thirteenth day of the trial of Michael Mc Kevitt (aged 53) , of Beech Park, Blackrock, Dundalk, Co Louth is charged with membership of an unlawful organisation styling itself the Irish Republican Army, otherwise the IRA, otherwise Oglaigh na hEireann between August 29, 1999 and March 28, 2001. He is also charged directing the activities of the same organisation.