Body parts ‘disposed of without family consent’

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) kept human tissue samples relating to 63 suspicious and unexplained deaths between 1960 and 2005.

A helpline has been established for relatives of people whose body parts were kept.

Stormont Minister David Ford said: “The state pathologist has clarified to me that there were, in the past, occasions when human tissue was taken without the families’ knowledge and subsequently disposed of without family consent or knowledge.

“To many that may seem a shocking statement.”

The cases, including 23 attributed to the conflict, were discovered as part of a UK-wide audit. The Commission for Victims and Survivors set up the helpline.

Mr Ford meets members of the Commission in a fortnight to consider matters raised by victims’ families and any unanswered questions.

Chairman of the Commission Brendan McAllister said: “It is important now for this situation to proceed in an atmosphere of calmness.”

He appealed to the community to remain sensitive to those who have lost someone through violence or in other tragic circumstances and who may be especially vulnerable to distress arising from this situation.

He it was important to remember that those involved were trying to serve the public by helping to determine the cause of death or by providing forensic evidence to help secure justice.

Last week, Assistant Chief Constable George Hamilton apologised for the distress caused to families but said the PSNI had acted within the law. The body parts were retained as part of investigations.

ACC Hamilton added that until 2006 police were under no legal obligation to inform relatives but said he was not defending what happened, when no mechanism was in place to review what material was held. The Police Ombudsman, which investigates complaints against police, also stored body parts.

Officers have been visiting affected families to advise them of their options.