Dutch appeals court to hear case of missing Achill man

Dutch Appeals Court to hear case of missing Achill man


Anton McNulty

The family of an Achill man who went missing over five years ago in Holland will appear before a Dutch court today (Tuesday) in an effort to get the police investigation into his disappearance reopened.
James Patrick (JP) Grealis (pictured) from Tonragee, Achill, went missing in the Dutch town of Breda in October 2008 while looking for work. There has been no sign of him since. The Grealis family have been extremely critical of the local police’s handling of the case, which was was officially closed in July 2012.
JP’s sister, Helen Grealis told The Mayo News that the family had no option but to go to court to try to force the Dutch police to reopen the case.
“We are disappointed that we have had to go down this road to find our brother and that the police have not taken this seriously. To date, there has not been a sufficient investigation, and we had no other option but to go to court. Our legal team believes there are reasons to to suspect there is a criminal connection and there should be a more-detailed investigation,” she explained.
During today’s hearing, which takes place in the Court of Appeal in the town of s’Hertogenbosch, the Grealis family and its legal team will present three judges with reasons for reinvestigating JP’s disappearance.
The court hearing will be held over one day, and the judges will review the case and assess whether the investigation of the Police and Public Prosecution Office has been sufficient and exhaustive, and if there are reasons to investigate further. The judges will also review the District Attorney’s conclusion that there is no, or at least not enough, evidence to suggest that a crime has been committed. A verdict is expected to be given in the next six to eight weeks.
Ms Yvonne Van der Hut, the Dutch lawyer for the Grealis family, told The Mayo News that she was confident that enough as-yet-unexplored lines of enquiry exist to merit a reinvestigation.
“We believe that the file contains enough clues that this was not a voluntary disappearance of Mr Grealis or an accident, and there are clues that a criminal offence was committed. There are still lines that are still open for further investigation.
“I have read the file, and having spoke to Ms Grealis, I suspect a crime was committed and there is enough to follow up on loose ends. There is never a guarantee in any legal procedure, but I have faith in this case, and there is enough to persuade the judges that further investigation is needed,” she explained.
The Grealis family has fought a constant battle with the Dutch police since JP’s disappearance. Following the initial closure of the case, a breakthrough of sorts occurred  in 2012 when the police agreed to investigate the disappearance following a demonstration outside the Dutch Embassy in Dublin.
However, the family was later informed, in October of that year, that the case was closed. They family does not believe a thorough investigation took place and decided to take legal action against the investigators.
Since JP went missing, the Grealis family has employed the services of a cold-case team consisting of a retired detective, a criminal psychologist and a well-known local crime reporter. A €20,000 reward for information into JP’s disappearance was also offered.