[2012] NICA 28

When deciding whether to exercise the royal prerogative of mercy, the decision-maker had a wide degree of latitude within which to make his decision and the court should only interfere with that decision in the clearest cases of irrationality or errors of law. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland had acted lawfully in refusing to recommend exercising the royal prerogative of mercy in relation to an individual who had been sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment for attempted murder because he had not served more than two years' imprisonment in either the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland.

CA (NI) (Morgan LCJ, Gillen J, Sir Anthony Hart)

03/07/2012