Kirk McCambley and Iris Robinson, evidence evidence evidence

BBC Panorama must be under huge financial constraints given that they pushed out a largely re-badged version of the original BBC Spotlight investigation. (For UK readers BBC iPlayer version of Iris Robinson ‘Spotlight Special’ here, Panorama’s ‘The MP and the Whistleblower’ here and for rest of world YouTube chopped up version starting here .

The original program on Iris Robinson caused the collective jaw of the people of Northern Ireland to rebound off the floor.

The Spotlight programme also caused a lot of 50 something Northern Ireland women to jettison their anti depressants, and get into ‘cougar’ mode to treat their depression.

All attempts at humour aside, this scandal is starting to intrigue me on a number of different levels; not least of which are the legal and political aspects of the case, and what findings may be made after evidence is taken, as well as who will give evidence and what that evidence is worth.

Anything that Iris Robinson says in her defence that isn’t corroborated by other real evidence such as documents texts etc, is likely to be given little if any weight. Any uncorroborated documents such as ones that noone else has previously seen and will attest to will be viewed with suspicion.

This is not going to happen as Iris Robinson is unlikely to ever give oral evidence to any tribunal of fact chaired by a judge. If she does she will do so because she wants to be heard, not because her lawyers think it is a good idea. If that happens she will likely ride into court on a Unicorn with Centaurs and Griffins as her security detail.

Iris Robinson’s medical history will be examined in minute detail and it will be a feeding frenzy. I am not saying that to be hurtful to anyone with mental health or personality issues, merely to reflect that one’s mental health background is fair game in assessing the reliability and accuracy of anyone’s evidence. It is likely that expert witnesses would be required to give evidence as well.

She may give written evidence of course but this will have the dead hand of a solicitor on it, and will be as is normal, highly sanitised. She is unlikely to be believed over Dr Selwyn Black, and has no chance of being believed over Peter Robinson if it comes to a ‘he says she says’ situation.

If push comes to shove there is only one person who she may be believed over, and that is Kirk McCambley.

A story was doing the rounds at the end of last week in the blogosphere about how the Kirk McCambley Iris Robinson relationship ended. There was chatter that, ‘allegedly’ Kirk McCambley may have had to advance a medical related explanation as to why he wished the relationship to end. That allegation has resurfaced today in the print media, but I wont do it the justice of linking to it as I just don’t know whether the reporting (from an unnamed reporter) was merely reflecting what had already been doing the rounds last week.

The only interest I have in the article is that if true, it opens up a route to damage Kirk McCambley’s evidence in cross examination. I am not saying ‘will’, only that it ‘might’ damage his credibility. If true, any advocate cross examining Kirk McCambley will pick at that festering sore, trying to prove that Kirk’s evidence is all about ‘means to an end’.

Turning to the political, I feel that based on the evidence thus far available Peter Robinson has little to fear from any investigation. It is just wishful thinking on the part of his political opponents that he will forced to stand down. If he stands down it will be because he has decided that his  flawed wife is preferred over his political career, not because the DUP are minded to bury their wounded.

Tagged as: Journalists, Northern Ireland, Solicitors