Write a comment
A Newry father and daughter have won a High Court challenge after being refused compensation under the Troubles Permanent Disability Payment Scheme. The court quashed the decision that had denied Peter McCabe and his daughter Jeanitta Larkin a payment, despite McCabe being shot in his family home by the IRA in 1990 in front of his children.
The pair had been told they did not qualify for the scheme because the attack was classed as paramilitary-style.
Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty, who supported the family throughout the process, welcomed the ruling. "I have been working with Jeanitta and the McCabe family throughout this process as they fought tirelessly to highlight the injustice of being denied this payment. It is very regrettable that the horror and trauma they experienced was dismissed and that they were forced to take this matter all the way to the High Court."
McNulty said he was present when the judgment was delivered. "I was with the McCabe and Larkin families today while the ruling was announced and they are very relieved that they will now receive the compensation they deserve. This family are clearly direct victims of the Troubles and that should have been recognised when the scheme's criteria were first established."
The MLA is now calling for wider action in light of the judgment. "This ruling raises important questions about other families who may now be eligible for compensation, particularly with the deadline for applications approaching. The Victims' Payment Board must urgently clarify what this judgment means for the future operation of the scheme, including a possible extension to the application process, and ensure everyone entitled to support is able to access it."
