Taoiseach ignores collusion report

The Dublin government is being condemned for its failure to respond to the recent collusion report by the Police Ombudsman, which found damning evidence of British Crown Force involvement in the murder of 19 Irish citizens.

The list of victims attributed by Ombudsman Marie Anderson to ‘collusive activity’ between members of the British Crown Forces and loyalist assassins in the northwest area includes elected Sinn Féin councillor Eddie Fullerton.

At least two British soldiers were in the UDA gang that assassinated the Donegal representative, who was shot dead at his home in Buncrana. One was a serving member of the locally recruited Ulster Defence Regiment, and another was a British army agent, posing as a former British soldier.

The assassination was overseen by ‘Person K’, a key suspect in at least 17 murders and 7 attempted murders.

The Ombudsman has refused to identify ‘Person K’. Despite repeatedly being arrested, charges have never been pressed against him or his handlers.

Speaking in the Dublin parliament this week, Donegal TD Padraig Mac Lochlainn said ‘Person K’ “had a licence to kill from the British State” and called for him to be brought to justice.

“Will the Irish government just ignore all of this?” he asked.

Taoiseach Michael Martin refused even to change the Dáil order of business to allow a debate on the report. He said that while the report is “quite damning... we have to be even-handed”.

Meanwhile, it has been reported than a report into collusion by former English police chief Jon Boutcher is being held up by the British government and the PSNI.

“There are concerns in government circles and at the top of the PSNI at the potential damage to their conduct during the Troubles,” according to a report in the Sunday World.

It is believed that unlike Anderson’s effort, Boutcher’s report ‘names names’, including members of the British forces who were involved in the Miami Showband massacre in July 1975, when three members of a Dublin-based showband were killed and two others injured in a botched bomb attack.

Last month, the British government agreed to pay £1.5m in damages to the victims without admitting liability. ‘Security’ officials are now said to be pressing for Boutcher’s report to be heavily censored before it is made public.

Urgent Appeal