An appeal which could lead to the last of the 'UDR Four' being cleared of murder was adjourned yesterday after a defence lawyer's blistering attack on the prosecution.
Neil Latimer's appeal was due to start on February 3 but his lawyer told the Appeal Court in Belfast that he was unable to mount a proper case because of the Crown's delay in supplying medical reports.
Arthur Harvey, QC, said: "It is absolutely appalling that the Crown should wait until three weeks before the date of the hearing to furnish reports which had obviously been in their possession for a very considerable period of time."
He said one of the reports was dated August 2001 and supplying them at such a late stage in the proceedings meant that his medical experts were unable to review their contents in the time available because of other comittments.
The Lord Chief Justice Sir Robert Carswell said it was regrettable that the appeal could not proceed as planned and with the number of doctors involved it would be difficult to reconvene at an early date.
He adjourned the hearing until February 7 in the hope that a new appeal date could be agreed.
Latimer and three other UDR soldiers were convicted of murdering Adrian Carroll (24) in Armagh in 1983.
The other three soldiers were freed on appeal in 1992 but Latimer lost his appeal and it was not until six years later that he was released after serving 12 years.
His new appeal followed an investigation by the criminal cases review commission – the body set up to probe cases where innocent people may have been convicted.
