A man convicted of murdering a Northern judge's daughter 46 years ago is to appeal his conviction. Lawyers for Iain Hay Gordon (66), of Glasgow, the former RAF man jailed for the killing, plan to take the case before the Court of Appeal in Belfast.
Patricia Curren, then 19,daughter of Lord Justice Curran, was found stabbed to death near her home at Whiteabbey, Co Antrim, on November 12th, 1952.
Gordon, who was on duty in Ulster, confessed to the murder and was found guilty but insane. He was ordered to be detained at Holwell Hospital, Antrim. However, doctors soon afterwards decided he was not insane and he was secretly released in 1960.
Despite his confession he maintained his innocence and since then has quietly campaigned with the support of his family to clear his name.
Gordon planned to put his case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the new body set up to investigate suspected miscarriages of justice. His lawyers presented a 170-page submission claiming he was the victim of a frame-up and a cover-up. Last month, however, he was told the commission had no power to investigate his case because the 1953 verdict of "guilty but insane" was technically regarded as an acquittal with no right of appeal.
Gordon's lawyers are now preparing to argue the commission can investigate, as the law was changed in 1961 to alter the verdict to "not guilty by reason of insanity", which carries a right of appeal. The case is due to come before the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal on June 16th.