Northern Ireland hunger striker vows to die if rape conviction is not quashed

Hunger striker Oswald Brown said today he was prepared to starve himself to death rather than live with a "wrongful" rape conviction. Entering the second week of his second hunger strike, Brown accused the judiciary of tricking him into abandoning his initial hunger strike, which lasted 54 days, by agreeing to re-examine his conviction. However, he claims that several months later no movement has been made on his case.

Brown told the Belfast Telegraph that he has written to the Coroner's Office detailing his protest so it can be recorded in the event of his death. "I want to live if the wrongful conviction is quashed, but I want to die if the wrongful conviction is not quashed. I will not come off the hunger strike protest until the wrongful conviction is quashed," he said. "All I have been living on is water and I have no intention of eating again until my case is looked at."

Brown (38), who is currently living in Bangor, was sentenced to six years in prison in February 2001 for rape, and was released three years later having served half his term. The father-of-two went back to jail in August 2006 when he failed to sign the sex offenders' register, and later began the hunger strike, during which he says his eyesight was damaged.

As his health deteriorated in December his case sparked a disagreement between High Court Judge Mr Justice Deeny and Belfast City Hospital after his physician chose not to force-feed him on the grounds that he believed he was of sound mind and fully aware of what he was doing.

Brown told the Belfast Telegraph he took the decision to go on another hunger strike after receiving a letter from the Official Solicitor to the Supreme Court stating that she could not find a QC to look at his trial papers for no fee and therefore no headway has been made in his case. She told him: "Even if I am able to get a QC to look at these papers you and your family will have to push the matter forward. I am going to keep trying to get some help for you but you must do likewise."

Report here



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