Police and military ordered to disclose intelligence files

Posted By: August 31, 2017

IRISH CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING
Distributed by Irish National Caucus
“ One of the most heinous acts of British Government/police collusion was the murderous attack in Northern Ireland on the Miami Showband (not really from Miami but a Showband in Dublin in 1975).Four were killed and two survived—  Stephen Travers and Des McAlea. Mr. Travers has always insisted that one of the killers spoke in a “British officer upper- class  accent.” Now at long last,  the High Court has ordered the British Government to disclose pertinent intelligence files on the atrocity.”—Fr. Sean Mc Manus


Irish News. Belfast. Thursday, August 31, 2017


Tony Geraghty, Fran O’Toole, Ray Miller, Des (Lee) McAlea, Brian McCoy and Stephen Travers.  
 The Miami Showband before the devastating attack by loyalists on July 31 1975

 POLICE and military chiefs have been ordered to disclose intelligence files in a major legal action over alleged collusion with loyalists behind the Miami Showband massacre.

A lawyer representing survivors and relatives of murdered group members confirmed that the High Court has directed more than 80 categories of documents are to be made available.

They are understood to include material held on Robin ‘The Jackal’ Jackson, a notorious UVF commander and suspected RUC Special Branch agent linked to scores of murders.

Following the development, solicitor Michael Flanigan said: “This is a case in which collusion is self-evident.

“The documents which the court has ordered disclosure of will go some way to explaining how that collusion came into effect, resulting in the loss of the lives of these innocent, talented young men.”

Victims of the atrocity are suing the Ministry of Defense and PSNI over collaboration between serving soldiers and the paramilitary killers.

Three members of the popular band were taken from their tour bus and shot dead on a country road after a gig in Banbridge, Co Down, in July 1975.

They were travelling home to Dublin when a fake army patrol made up of UDR soldiers and UVF members stopped them at a bogus checkpoint outside Newry.

Band members were made to line up at the side of the road while attempts were made to hide a bomb on the bus.

The device exploded prematurely, killing some of the would-be bombers.

The other gunmen then opened fire on the band, murdering lead singer Fran O’Toole, guitarist Tony Geraghty and trumpeter Brian McCoy.

Two others, Des McAlea and Stephen Travers, were also injured but survived the atrocity.

In 2011 a report by the police Historical Enquiries Team raised collusion concerns around the involvement of an RUC Special Branch agent.

It found that UVF boss Jackson, above right, a one-time UDR member who died in 1998, had been linked to one of the murder weapons by fingerprints.

Jackson claimed in police interviews he had been tipped off by a senior RUC officer to lie low after the killings.

He went on trial charged with possession of a silencer attached to a pistol used in the murders but was acquitted.

Two serving members of the UDR were, however, eventually convicted for their part in the attack.

Based on documents uncovered by campaign groups, writs have been issued against both the MoD and Chief Constable.

Damages are being sought for assault, trespass, conspiracy to injure, negligence and misfeasance in public office.

Military chiefs allegedly knew about but failed to stop loyalists infiltrating the UDR’s ranks, according to the victims’ case.

They also claim police are liable for vetting carried out on applications to join the army regiment and the use of agents such as Jackson.

Despite securing the order for discovery, the defendants could still try to retain some files.

Any application for Public Interest Immunity would be based around the potential damaging impact of full disclosure.