Glenanne gang prosecution raises new questions

An RUC ‘whistle-blower’ is to be the first to be prosecuted in an investigation by the North’s Police Ombudsman into the Glenanne Gang, a collaboration between unionist paramilitaries and members of the British Crown Forces which carried out at least 125 sectarian murders.

The number of murder charges facing John Weir (pictured), who is currently living in South Africa, has not been revealed.

The prosecution follows a legacy investigation which encompasses attacks carried out in mid-Ulster, South Armagh and south of the border during the 1970s.

But there are fears that Weir has been singled out as a scapegoat and to frustrate the unveiling of an industrial-scale collusion operation, which is alleged took place with the direct knowledge of government.

Made up of members of the RUC police, the British Army’s Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and the paramilitary ‘Ulster Volunteer Force’ (UVF), the Glenanne Gang operated across the Mid-Ulster area in the 1970s. The vast majority of its victims were innocent Catholics.

The former RUC man was previously convicted and served 13 years in prison in connection with the 1977 murder of Catholic pharmacist William Strathearn.

The killing became known as the ‘Good Samaritan murder’, due to the murder gang luring the 39-year-old father-of-seven to his front door at 2am by claiming they were seeking aspirin for a sick child, before shooting him twice.

Weir was convicted of involvement in the murder along with another man, William McCaughey.

However, in the documentary ‘Unquiet Graves: The Story Of The Glenanne Gang’ by filmmaker Sean Murray, he alleged the two gunmen were in fact RUC agents who did not serve a day in prison.

He also alleged that British agents encouraged the UVF to carry out mass murder at a Catholic primary school in retaliation for the Kingsmill massacre, and confirmed that many of his former RUC colleagues were also involved with the UVF.

Following his release from prison, Weir confirmed that many of the gang’s operations were planned and prepared at a farm owned by RUC reservist James Mitchell at Glenanne, County Armagh. He also revealed it had been involved in the Dublin-Monaghan atrocities of 1974, when pro-British forces mounted a series of car bombs in the 26 Counties, killing 34 civilians.

Ombudsman Marie Anderson said Reid will be prosecuted for murder, conspiracy to murder and an attack in the 26 Counties.

Mrs Anderson has asked the British government for a deadline on conflict-related investigations to be extended to allow criminal proceedings to take place, after which she would deliver a report into the gang.

She is understood to have recently contacted families of the victims of a car bomb attack outside the Step Inn in Keady, Co Armagh, in August 1976, which was carried out by the Glenanne gang.

The daughter of County Armagh woman Maria McShane, who lost an eye in the blast, welcomed news of the prosecution.

“However, we note that this former RUC officer was but ... a whistle blower,” she said.

“And as such we want those higher up the chain of command within the RUC, British army and British government of the time who organised the appalling policy of collusion also held to account.”

Her lawyer Kevin Winters, of KRW Law, said while some families cautiously welcome the prosecutions they are “suspicious over its timing”, which has brought a further delay.

“Equally they are suspicious that the decision amounts to some contrived latter-day consolation for failing to direct prosecutions against other ex-security force personnel some of whom arguably have more to answer for.”

Mr Winters said there was concern over the delay in publishing the Ombudsman’s report.

“Families of victims and survivors have waited a lifetime for these important findings and now their hopes of getting the report any time soon lie in ruins,” he said.

Gavin Booth, of Phoenix Law, who represents victims of the Keady attack, welcomed the decision to prosecute.

“There remains many suspects who still remain free from prosecution in relation to 120 murders in the Glenanne series both north and south,” he said.

“It shows that with the right political will that people today can still be prosecuted for legacy matters going back to the 1970s.

“We hope the suspects appear before the court here without any undue delay.”

Speaking to journalists from South Africa this week, Weir said he would fight prosecution, but has agreed to speak to investigators as part of their review.

He revealed that he appeared at a Cape Town magistrates court in October at the request of 26 County police for questioning about an attack in which two teenagers, Geraldine O’Reilly (15) and Patrick Stanley (16), died. No organisation has ever claimed responsibility for the 1972 car bomb attack in Belturbet, County Cavan.

And he made further accusations against the authorities in both Dublin and London.

“Could it be a coincidence that 50 year later An Garda Siochana have me brought into Cape Town Magistrates Court and now a couple of months later this is happening back home ... that can’t be coincidence,” he said.

He claims he has been singled out in a bid to “discredit” him “and to stop me talking”.

“I also made it quite clear that I want all the truth to come out for all sides, but probably most important was the governments’ sides,” he said. “And then people would settle down and live at peace, and I do believe that, if all the truth is told.”

Urgent Appeal