Dublin shooting a case of collusion, family says

The family of a man killed by the unionist paramilitary UVF in Dublin in 1994 is to sue the PSNI police over collusion with the killers.

They have argued that the operation took place with the full knowledge of the then RUC, who knew an attempted bombing would fail but allowed it to proceed, resulting in the fatal gun attack.

Martin ‘Doco’ Doherty was shot several times in the chest outside the Widow Scallans pub on Pearse Street. He was working on the door for a republican social function in the pub when the loyalist gang arrived with a bomb containing 15kg of commercial explosive.

Mr Doherty was shot after he challenged the men, who then fled.

In a case due at Belfast High Court Mr Doherty’s family are to sue the PSNI because they believe the killing could have been prevented by the force, then known as the RUC.

The family’s legal representatives argued that the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland “identified collusion between the UVF and the RUC Special Branch”. They said that the attack could have been simply prevented if information had been provided to the police in Dublin.

They have pointed out that the murder weapon was also well known to the RUC, and had been used by the UVF in three previous murders and three attempted murders.

Martin Doherty’s inquest, which took place 10 years after his death in 1994, heard that there were more than 150 people on the premises for the function, and if the bomb had exploded, it would have had devastating consequences.

Only the detonator of the bomb exploded. A similar occurrence took place three times in the 26 Counties after the attack on the Widow Scallans -- and only the detonator of the bomb exploded on all three occasions.

These UVF plans, the family says, were sanctioned at brigade level within the UVF and all the “bombs in these connected incidents were ‘treated’ by the defendant (RUC/PSNI) to prevent them from exploding”.

“However, no measures were put in place to prevent the attacks, with one of the attacks resulting in the death of the deceased.

“The Dublin bombing and shooting was carried out by loyalist paramilitaries of the Ulster Volunteer Force, some of whom were agents of the defendant, and were assisted by members of the RUC in their terrorist activities.”

They further claim Doherty’s death was “the result of the shooting that the defendants knew or suspected would occur as a result of the plan to commit premeditated murders at Widow Scallans pub”.

The family’s complaint is also to be investigated by the Police Ombudsman.

Urgent Appeal