Authorities in Northern Ireland are to prosecute seven people over the alleged abuse of patients at a psychiatric hospital. It is understood they are staff members of the psychiatric intensive care unit at Muckamore Abbey hospital, a facility outside Belfast in County Antrim.
The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said on Friday the seven people will be charged with offences including alleged ill-treatment and wilful neglect of patients contrary to the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986.
Police have arrested 15 people in a wide-ranging investigation since the alleged abuses surfaced in 2017. The hospital is operated by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and treats adults with severe learning disabilities and mental health needs.
Martin Hardy, the assistant director of the PPS, said another eight people were named in a second investigation file which remains under consideration. “Decisions will be issued in due course after a thorough consideration of all the available evidence.”
Relatives of the patients had been notified, he said. “We acknowledge how difficult this process has been for the patients and their families, and we recognise the great dignity that they have shown. We will continue to engage with them and ensure they are kept informed as the process continues.
DCS Anthony McNally, who heads the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s public protection branch, said the decision to prosecute represented “significant progress” in a complex investigation.
“Our specially trained officers will continue to provide support to the families whose loved ones are at the centre of this investigation. From the outset we have been committed to working closely with them, with the aim of keeping them as informed as much as we possibly can and we will continue to do so. The protection of our most vulnerable is a priority for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.”
Glynn Brown reported concerns about the treatment of his son at the facility in August 2017, leading to the creation of a relatives’ pressure group, Action for Muckamore. It complained about the pace of the police investigation and lobbied for a public inquiry. The health minister, Robin Swann, announced an inquiry last September.