7.3.05
BBC
Death inquiry delay 'outrageous'
Magilligan Prison
A High Court judge has said it is "outrageous" that a Derry woman still does not know the circumstances of her husband's death in jail.
Patrick Mongan was found hanged in his cell at Magilligan prison in October 2003.
His widow, Julia, was granted leave by the High Court in Belfast on Monday to seek a judicial review into why the police investigation had been delayed.
Mr Justice Girvan described the delay as "outrageous".
He said the system needed "shaking up".
Mrs Mongan, from Carnhill, Shantallow, claimed she had been "kept in the dark" about the circumstances of her husband's death.
She said she still had not been told the outcome of the investigations carried out by the prison service and police.
She also wants to see the results of an internal review carried out in the wake of his death.
"This has been a terrible time for my family," she said.
"I just want to know how and why my husband died.
"I am finding it difficult to move on with my life and cannot find closure in relation to Patrick's death due to the delay in the police investigation and inquest."
Welcoming the judge's ruling, a spokesman for Mrs Mongan's solicitors, Madden and Finucane, said: "Her husband died in tragic circumstances almost 18 months ago and she is still no further forward in learning about the circumstances of his death."
Death inquiry delay 'outrageous'
Magilligan Prison
A High Court judge has said it is "outrageous" that a Derry woman still does not know the circumstances of her husband's death in jail.
Patrick Mongan was found hanged in his cell at Magilligan prison in October 2003.
His widow, Julia, was granted leave by the High Court in Belfast on Monday to seek a judicial review into why the police investigation had been delayed.
Mr Justice Girvan described the delay as "outrageous".
He said the system needed "shaking up".
Mrs Mongan, from Carnhill, Shantallow, claimed she had been "kept in the dark" about the circumstances of her husband's death.
She said she still had not been told the outcome of the investigations carried out by the prison service and police.
She also wants to see the results of an internal review carried out in the wake of his death.
"This has been a terrible time for my family," she said.
"I just want to know how and why my husband died.
"I am finding it difficult to move on with my life and cannot find closure in relation to Patrick's death due to the delay in the police investigation and inquest."
Welcoming the judge's ruling, a spokesman for Mrs Mongan's solicitors, Madden and Finucane, said: "Her husband died in tragic circumstances almost 18 months ago and she is still no further forward in learning about the circumstances of his death."
