Collusion families 'vindicated'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/7117938.stm

Version 0 of 1.

The families of eight men murdered in the 1970s who said the RUC did not properly examine collusion claims have said they have been vindicated.

The European Court of Human Rights said alleged security force collusion in the murders was not properly investigated.

Eugene Reavey, whose three brothers were shot dead in 1976, said there should be a fresh investigation.

"If I was to borrow a catchphrase from Margaret Thatcher 'murder, is murder, is murder'," he said.

"My three brothers were brutally murdered by members of the security forces and a loyalist gang and I call on the chief constable to do something about it."

The collusion claim was made by a former RUC officer, John Weir, on a television programme.

He said a farmhouse owned by another police officer was used as a base from which to carry out a series of murders.

Weir is a former RUC sergeant, convicted for the murder of Catholic shopkeeper William Strathearn in April 1977.

Eight years ago, he claimed to have been a member of the loyalist gang which carried out these and other murders. He said the gang consisted of members of the RUC, UDR and the UVF.

The RUC launched an investigation, but did not interview Weir, who now lives in Africa, as he was said not to be a credible witness.

The relatives say their cases account for just a fraction of the killings carried out by the gang - and they want the government to admit that members of the security forces were part of it.

The families said they want to meet the Public Prosecution Service to find out why members of the gang were not prosecuted deaspite their identities being known as far back as 1978.

Alan Bracknell - whose father was shot dead in 1975 - said it could not be the end of the matter.

"There does need to be a proper independent investigation of John Weir's allegations," he said.