Kelly family condemn PSNI inquiry into killing

The family of a Catholic councillor who was murdered in controversial circumstances almost 30 years have detailed a number of serious concerns with the re-investigation of the killing by the PSNI police.

Patsy Kelly, an independent nationalist member of Omagh District Council and a father-of-four, was murdered outside the County Tyrone village of Trillick on July 24 1974.

A new police inquiry is underway into allegations that Mr Kelly was murdered by a rogue British Army patrol, and that the Crown forces colluded to keep the killers out of jail.

But the inquiry, led by Detective Superintendent Andrew Hunter, is already behaving in a suspicious manner.

``We are being persistently asked by Mr Hunter's team to meet him without our solicitor being present. We would like an explanation why such a meeting is being sought,'' the family said.

They also question the ``real purpose of this re-investigation''.

``Is it to find the perpetrators of both the murder and of the subsequent cover-ups?'' they asked.

The family claim that David Jordan, a former locall-recuited British soldier with the UDA who claimed to have been present during Mr Kelly's murder, ``provided important evidence about the identity of the perpetrators before his own death in suspicious circumstances in 2001''.

``This evidence has not to our knowledge been properly followed up on,'' they said.

``A fresh postmortem of Mr Jordan's body is, therefore, required to allay fears and suspicions.''

``We repeat our belief that there needs to be a proper re-investigation by an outside police force.

We will pursue the matter until we achieve that,'' they added.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin's Fermanagh-South Tyrone MP Michelle Gildernew has attacked the ``continuing refusal of the PSNI to disclose vital information to inquest hearings'' whicch she said was ``symptomatic of a culture of concealment which infects the entire British system''.

The PSNI have refused to give vital evidence to the inquest hearings into the murder of 10 people in Tyrone.

She said the families who have demanded disclosure are entitled to the truth about the killings of their loved ones.

``It is ironic that at this moment Hugh Orde, the Chief Constable of the PSNI, is in the United States promoting the lie that the PSNI today is different from the RUC.''

``No one will be fooled by Hugh Orde's dishonest claims that things are different now. His assertions are an insult to the families who have fought for many years to have the truth about these killings revealed.''

Urgent Appeal