Mc Gurk’s Challenge

Posted By: August 03, 2013

Mc Gurk’s Challenge

McGurk relatives challenge chief constable over ‘blocked’ repo
Irish News ( Belfast). Friday, August 2, 2013

RELATIVES of those killed in the McGurk’s Bar bombing challenged Chief Con-stable
Matt Baggott yesterday to release the findings of a Historical Enquiries Team
investigation into the UVF atrocity.
Several families have lodged a High Court action aimed at forcing him to hand over
the report that was concluded last December. They say he has blocked its release.
Campaigner Ciaran Mac Airt, whose grandmother Kathleen Irvine was one of the
victims, said the families “reluctantly” took the decision to initiate court
proceedings.
“The chief constable has done a total turn-around on what he told us in 2011 when he
claimed there were no further investigative opportunities open to police,” he said.
The bombing of the north Belfast pub on December 4 1971 killed 15 men, women and
children. The RUC originally briefed the media that the bomb had gone off from
inside the bar and was an IRA ‘own goal’.
The campaigners handed in a letter of complaint to Brice Dickson and Sam Pollock at
the Policing Board headquarters yesterday.
They have also lodged an official complaint with the Police Ombudsman about the delays.
As Mr Baggott entered the board’s headquarters he was challenged by campaigner
Robert McClenaghan who asked him why he was withholding information contained in the
HET report.
“Many of our relatives are now elderly and have fought long and hard. Time is
running out. We have been told this report was completed last December so why
continue to keep it from us?” he asked.
Mr Baggott spoke to the relatives for several minutes. He denied withholding the
report and said he was following procedure. He offered to meet victims’ families at
a later date.