McGuinness meets Loughinisland familie

Posted By: October 06, 2016

Claire Simpson. Irish News (Belfast).Thursday, October 6, 2016

Above, Martin McGuinness meeting the Loughinisland families at the Heights Bar in the Co Down village of Loughinisland. Right, Some of the Loughinisland families watching the Republic play Belgium at Euro 2016

DEPUTY First Minister Martin McGuinness last night met the families of those killed in the Loughinisland massacre to discuss their campaign for justice.

A Police Ombudsman’s report, published earlier this year, into the atrocity at the Heights Bar in June 1994 said the UVF killers had been protected from investigation.

Six Catholic men were murdered in the attack: Adrian Rogan, Barney Green, Dan McCreanor, Eamon Byrne, Malcolm Jenkinson and Patsy O’Hare.

Speaking ahead of the meeting at the Heights Bar last night, Mr McGuinness said he wanted to discuss the ombudsman’s report with the families.

“It exposed the scale of the British state’s collusion with loyalist death squads,” he said.

“I am meeting the families to discuss the Ombudsman’s report and where they go from here in their campaign to get justice for their loved ones.

“I want to pay tribute to the families for their courage and determination in the face of huge obstacles being placed in their way by a British government, which is attempting to avoid its responsibilities on addressing the legacy of the past.”

In his report, ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire was scathing in his assessment of the police’s actions, with “catastrophic failings” identified in the initial Loughinisland investigation.

He also found that two of the weapons used in the 1994 attack were part of a shipment brought into Northern Ireland with the involvement of police informers who were at the highest “echelons” within loyalism.