Haggarty release heaps suffering on relatives of his victims

Posted By: May 21, 2018

John Dallat MLA. SDLP, East Derry. Letters to Editor. Irish News. Belfast. Monday, May 21, 2018

The decision to release UVF killer Gary Haggarty from prison and provide him with a new identity under a witness protection scheme before an appeal against his lenient sentence could be heard defies logic or any sense of justice. It simply heaps pain and suffering upon the relatives of the victims who, even at this late stage thought – hope against hope – they might just get some sense of justice but alas haven’t got it and clearly never will.

So many were Haggarty’s crimes that the judge at his sentencing didn’t read them out because it would take too long and simply referred to a catalog listing more than 500 of his crimes against humanity.

In a letter dated May 4 from the Public Prosecution Service, relatives were told a hearing date would be fixed by the court on May 11 but gave no indication that Haggarty would be set free on that date and would never serve an extra day in jail.

The relatives learned from their television sets that Haggarty was being set free and would never serve another day in jail. How cruel. What a way to learn that the monster who murdered your loved ones is back on the streets with the full knowledge that he will never serve a single day for his crimes.

All this comes at a time when the Theresa May is trying to tell the world that there is an imbalance against the security forces involved in the Troubles.

Haggarty was a state-sponsored murderer run by the security forces and while May is putting out the fake news, this man is going through the courts and being provided with a new identity.

Where on earth is the justice in that? It doesn’t exist and any belief that Haggarty’s minders might be brought to justice has evaporated.

Thankfully there are relatives who are not prepared to take this lying down and won’t give up the struggle for justice for those who were lured to their deaths by loyalist death squads run by the security forces and it doesn’t matter what spin is put on the current campaign by the prime minister it isn’t going to work because the security forces were supposed to be the protectors of the people, all the people and not only did they fail but some were up to their necks in the campaign of genocide against innocent people.