Search for truth goes on

Three County Armagh brothers gunned down by a unionist paramilitary death squad 31 years ago have finally had their names cleared of involvement with the IRA.

Eugene Reavey said the family’s grief had been made more acute by their treatment by British forces, who started a whispering campaign to link the dead men to the IRA.

The Historical Enquiries Team (HET) has now confirmed that his brothers John Martin, Brian and Anthony had been “innocent victims of senseless sectarian violence”.

The acknowledgement by the team, which is looking into conflict-related deaths, was accompanied by an apology for the conduct of the Crown forces at the time.

The apology was made by HET chief David Cox to the men’s 83-year-old mother.

Meanwhile, lawyers for the families of two IRA men shot dead by the British Crown forces have gone to the House of Lords in London to challenge the way the inquests into their deaths will proceed.

Pearse Jordan was shot dead by an RUC officer after the stolen car he was driving was involved in a collision with a police vehicle on the Falls Road in west Belfast in 1992.

Jordan’s father Hugh is seeking to secure changes to the inquests system to permit a jury in the north to return a verdict of unlawful killing.

Martin McCaughey was shot dead near Loughgall, County Armagh, by an undercover SAS unit two years earlier.

McCaughey’s father Owen is seeking to compel the PSNI to produce documents relevant to his son’s death.

The lawyer for the families, Peter Madden, said: “The decision of the House of Lords will have profound implications for the manner in which inquests shall be conducted.”

Urgent Appeal