Documentary finds RUC massacre conspiracy

A retired RUC police detective has admitted a colleague involved in the investigation into the massacre of six Catholic men in County Down in 1994 was more interested in setting up another murder than catching the killers.

Former Detective Jimmy Binns makes a number of shocking allegations in the documentary ‘No Stone Unturned’, including that RUC Special Branch had prior knowledge of the massacre.

Six men died and several other people were injured when gunmen sprayed The Heights Bar during a World Cup match between Ireland and Italy in 1994.

Mr Binns said that two Special Branch officers told him the RUC had an arrest operation in place to catch the UVF gang after receiving intelligence from a double agent. However, the arrest operation was cancelled and the attack went ahead, killing the six men as they watched Ireland play Italy in the World Cup.

The retired detective said he was also present when the chief suspect in the UVF attack was questioned by detectives.

Mr Binns told film maker Alex Gibney that during one of the police interviews his colleague tried to convince the suspect to kill a man who is a member of a well known republican family. Media reports from the time said the planned victim was on an RUC wanted list.

At the time the RUC told the families of those killed at Loughinisand they “would leave no stone unturned” in the hunt for the killers.

However, it is now known they were aware of suspects’ names within 24 hours of the shootings and failed to make arrests. The car used by the killers, found in a farmer’s field, was also crushed by the RUC, destroying any evidential opportunities.

Mr Binns also told the film makers that he was the detective sent to interview the last registered owner of the killer gang’s getaway car the morning after the attack. However, said he was prevented from speaking to the man from the Shankill area of west Belfast by a local detective.

Mr Binns told the makers of the documentary he came away with the distinct impression “people were being protected”.

The documentary also reveals that the wife of one of the main suspects who had been a civilian RUC employee, named the gunmen and getaway driver -- including her own husband -- in two phone calls and a letter. She later admitted being the author of the letter, sent to a former councillor, in which she implicated herself as one of those who helped plan the attack.

No-one has ever been convicted of the murders of pensioner Barney Green (87), Adrian Rogan (34), Malcolm Jenkinson (53), Daniel McCreanor (59), Patrick O’Hare (35) and Eamon Byrne (39).

The couple, who still live locally, were never charged and have refused to comment. The new documentary, made by Belfast-based production company Fine Point Films and under consideration for an Oscar, is due for general release across Britain and Ireland on Friday November 10.

Urgent Appeal