UVF killers were working for police

A former top RUC policeman has confirmed that two unionist paramilitaries behind a series of murders in the 1990s had been working as British agents at the time.

Johnston ‘Jonty’ Brown said that both men had been working as Special Branch agents at the time of their involvement in several murders in Belfast.

Mr Brown has confirmed the two men had both been Special Branch agents at the time of the murder of 27-year-old Sharon McKenna, who was shot dead at the home of a pensioner in north Belfast in January 1993.

Paul McKenna, a brother of the dead woman, said he now wanted the Police Ombudsman to investigate his sister’s murder.

“The fact that my sister was murdered by Special Branch agents is not in doubt, and the ombudsman should investigate on that basis,” said Mr McKenna.

The same two are also alleged to have murdered Raymond McCord, who was beaten to death in Belfast in 1997.

His father, Raymond McCord Sr, said he had no doubt his son’s killers had been allowed to get away with murder.

“They murdered my son, they murdered Sharon McKenna and at least three more people in north Belfast, while they were working for the police”.

Mr Brown revealed that Ken Barrett, a convicted loyalist killer, had confessed to killing the Belfast defence lawyer Pat Finucane.

He told Special Branch, which took no action against Mr Barrett and later claimed to have lost the tape recording of Barrett’s confession.

Urgent Appeal