Serious questions have been raised about the functioning of the North’s prosecution service following the collapse of criminal proceedings brought on behalf of two West Belfast women who were allegedly sexually abused when they were young teenagers by Marty Morris, the IRA member at the centre of the Mairia Cahill abuse scandal.

The women were aged thirteen and fourteen at the time of the alleged abuse.

The two women, who at this stage do not want their names revealed, claim that Morris had subjected them to sexual abuse over a three year period between 1997 and 2000. They complained formally to the PSNI in early 2011, Morris was returned for trial in July 2011 but proceedings were delayed repeatedly and then indefinitely adjourned by the North’s prosecution service to facilitate Morris’ trial on IRA membership charges.

Like Mairia Cahill’s case, the PSNI and prosecution service decided that before the two…