Sir, - What a pity A. J. Pearson (April 4th) did not write weeks ago. Surely nobody could be better placed than the director of security and programmes of H M Prison Service, to give us timely answers to the many strange questions that remain unanswered, about the regime applied during Roisin McAliskey's lengthy imprisonment on remand.
To begin with, why were there more than 60 strip searches? Why given the prisoner's advanced pregnancy and severe weight loss - was it considered necessary to have a male prison officer present on these occasions? Why were the provisions for exercise and association - which Mr Pearson now describes - denied for so many critical weeks?
Given the dismal trail of misleading police evidence - disclosed in the many cases of sentences on Irish defendants that later have had to be set aside as "unsafe and unsound" - what assurance can Mr Pearson, or anyone else, give of a fair trial in either England or Germany?
An unpleasant feature of the McAliskey case has been the way in which the pregnancy has been used as an instrument of mental torture. Almost daily, the media speculated about the conditions to be imposed during the birth process. It was regularly asserted that she would not be allowed to keep her baby.
Mr Pearson appears to be in a privileged position to know where these campaigns originated, and how, over many weeks, they were sustained. He should tell us. In the meantime, I would appeal to all those who share my view that Ms. McAliskey has consistently been subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, and denied even the possibility of a fair trial, to, speak up. - Yours, etc.,
Carrigahorig, Nenagh,
Co Tipperary.