Boylan welcomes Glenanne Gang ruling

Newry & Armagh MLA Cathal Boylan has welcomed last weeks judgement in the High Court in Belfast that the PSNI had failed to conduct a thorough investigation into collusion between the British state and the loyalist Glenanne Gang.

Speaking after Justice Seamus Treacy delivered his judgement on a judicial review taken by the brother of 13-year-old Patrick Barnard, who was killed in the bombing of the Hillcrest Bar in Dungannon in 1976, the  MLA said “I welcome today’s judgement by Justice Seamus Treacy in Belfast that the PSNI had failed to conduct a thorough investigation of wholesale British state collusion with the notorious loyalist Glenanne gang.

“Justice Treacy found that changes made by the PSNI to how it investigated historic cases were ‘fundamentally inconsistent’ with its obligations in the European Convention on Human Rights.

“He found that the HET had examined individual murders committed by the Glenanne gang but had not undertaken an overarching thematic review of the allegations of collusion with the state.

“The judgement confirms what families and others have known for decades that there was collusion between the British state and the loyalist murder gang which was made up of serving RUC, UDR, British army personnel and loyalists.

"The Glenanne gang was responsible for more than 100 murders, mostly of nationalist civilians, in Armagh and Tyrone, as well as being involved in the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

"The British state has continually sought to deny and delay the truth about the role of its armed forces in running murder gangs during the conflict.

"This continuous refusal to take responsibility for its actions is unacceptable and adds to the pain and suffering of the victims.

“Justice Treacy has placed an onus on the PSNI to return to the courts in a fortnight’s time to offer an ‘appropriate form of relief’ that would address the family's concerns.

“I am calling on the PSNI to comply with the judgement and provide the necessary resources so that the families can get access to truth and justice."