McCartney sisters named as IRA trial witnesses after ban is lifted

Robert McCartney's five sisters and his partner (second left) led a high-profile campaign for justice in 2005. His partner was not involved in last week's court case

The sisters of Belfast murder victim Robert McCartney have been identified as witnesses in an IRA trial which collapsed last week, after reporting restrictions were lifted.

They were witnesses in the case of Padraic Wilson and Sean Hughes, who had both been charged with IRA membership.

Until now, the media was unable to report the involvement of the sisters.

But after a successful court challenge to the reporting restrictions, a judge lifted a ban on naming some witnesses.

The McCartney sisters led a high-profile, international campaign for justice after their brother was stabbed to death outside a Belfast city centre pub in 2005.

The family have always maintained that IRA members were involved in their brother's murder.

'Open justice'

On Thursday afternoon, a lawyer acting for the Independent News and Media Group, which owns the Belfast Telegraph, successfully argued that the ban on reporting the sisters' names should be lifted.

Padraic Wilson and Sean Hughes had been accused of membership of the IRA and addressing meetings to encourage support for the organisation.

At the start of June, the case against them collapsed after a number of key witnesses withdrew their evidence, a week before the trial was due to begin.

Mr Wilson and Mr Hughes were acquitted of the charges against them.

Counsel for the Independent News and Media said the McCartney sisters "neither wanted nor needed" the protection of the reporting restrictions.

The judge said he was lifting the ban because "the principle of open justice does apply".