Ombudsman urged to investigate O'Hara killing

The family of a Catholic student who was shot dead by unionist paramilitaries 11 years ago is to ask the Police Ombudsman to investigate allegations that the RUC police colluded in the killing.

Gerard O'Hara was shot dead by UFF gunmen from the gang headed by notorious loyalist Johnny Adair at his home in north Belfast in 1992.

Mr O'Hara was shot 17 times when two gunmen burst into his home as he sat down to watch television with his mother. Bridie O'Hara pleaded with the gunmen to shoot her instead of her son. But as the teenager lay dying on the floor the gunmen shot him in the head from point-blank range.

A new book on Johnny Adair's gang alleges that an RUC police detective told a loyalist that a brother of Mr O'Hara had been involved in an attack on a British soldier just weeks before. The allegation was later proved to be untrue.

Mr O'Hara's family is now to ask the Police Ombudsman to investigate the allegation that her youngest son was set up.

``The police are supposed to be protecting the people, but here was a policeman giving information to loyalists that led to my son's murder,'' Mr O'Hara said.

At the time of the killing the O'Hara family questioned how an RUC search of their livingroom had failed to recover four bullets lying where the teenager was killed.

``We always knew there was collusion in Gerard's murder but could never prove it,'' Mr O'Hara said.

``Now we want Nuala O'Loan to re-open the case.

``The UFF killed my youngest son but it was with information passed to them by the RUC.

``My son deserves justice and we intend to make sure that that happens.''

The book, Mad Dog, the Rise and Fall of Johnny Adair and `C' Company claims that the same detective later urged a loyalist gunman to target Sinn Fein.

It claims the detective also suggested several places they could attack, including a bar on the Falls Road and the party's headquarters in Andersonstown.

Urgent Appeal