Sir, - Those of us who know the McAliskey family have a number of concerns about the conduct of the detention of Roisin McAliskey. In the first place, we understand that she was still being questioned in isolation in a holding centre for some time after a warrant for her extradition/arrest had already been signed. After such signing, justice would demand that all further questioning should take place in an open court.
Secondly, we would like to know why this young girl, carrying her first baby, has now to be detained in solitary confinement so far removed from her family and at so called Christmastime. After so many years of politically motivated violence in Northern Ireland, it would be strange indeed if there were not suitable facilities for her secure detention here.
Holloway women's prison is not that special security measures are adopted if a "maximum security" prisoner is admitted to it. It is, therefore, also of concern that medical and nursing facilities, which should be immediately available to Ms McAliskey in the event of trouble with her pregnancy, facilities which apparently are available to other women in the prison, can only become available to her after the mobilisation of special security staff, should she require to be removed from her cell.
Many years ago, in his Bradlaw oration, the late Lord Rodney Smyth of Marlow reaffirmed the sacred bond between doctor and patient as one to one and that no third party should stand in its way. As a profession we are charged, to the utmost of our ability, not only to treat and prevent disease but also to promote health. In this respect, it sees pertinent to ask what the prison medical service is saying or doing about all this and what, if any, opinion is the medical establishment expressing about the matter?
In urging that Roisin McAliskey is kept in as comfortable and medially acceptable conditions as possible, Mr Peter Bottomley MP should have the support of all right thinking people. The manner in which a country treats its prisoners, most especially those on remand, is a measure of how civilised it is. - Yours, etc.,
Charlotte Street,
Ballymoney, Co Antrim.