Campbell inquest to continue due to crime link

An inquest into the murder of a Catholic RUC man in 1977 is set to continue despite the introduction of the British government’s Legacy Act this week.

Sergeant Joseph Campbell was shot dead as he locked up outside Cushendall RUC police base station in County Antrim in February 1977.

His inquest is currently ongoing and will now carry on past Wednesday’s cut off date after a coroner determined that it could continue as a “non-legacy inquest”.

It is understood a hearing has been listed for next month.

Dozens of inquests into conflict-related killings have been shut down after the British government’s new ‘Legacy Act’ came into force on May 1. Only four - Springhill, Clonoe, Francis Bradley and Dessie Healey – complete before the guillotine and are awaiting findings.

In theory, the remaining legacy cases has now been transferred to the so-called ‘Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery’ (ICRIR), a body which is strongly opposed by most victims and relatives of those who died during the conflict, believing it is designed to protect the Crown Forces from accountability for its war crimes.

The murder of Sergeant Campbell has previously been linked to the the notorious Glenanne Gang. The gang included members of the RUC police, British Army and unionist paramilitaries and carried out 120 murders.

Former Attorney General John Larkin ordered the new inquest after fresh evidence was included in a Police Ombudsman’s report published in 2014.

That report claimed that the former RUC chief and head of Special Branch “quite probably” knew about the threat to Mr Campbell’s life, but failed to act.

Three years after the killing retired RUC Special Branch officer Charles McCormick was acquitted of Sergeant Campbell’s murder.

He was convicted of charges including possession of explosives and firearms and armed robbery. These were all quashed on appeal.

A second man Anthony O’Doherty, originally from Portglenone in County Antrim, was convicted of withholding information about the murder but later received a royal pardon. He had been recruited by McCormick to become a Special Branch informer.

Several former senior RUC figures refused to co-operate with the Police Ombudsman’s office during its investigation.

At the time Mr Larkin said he was “worried” about the ombudsman’s observation around “systematic destruction and/or loss of critical documentary evidence” by the RUC/PSNI.

Mr Campbell’s son, Joe Campbell, said that since his father’s murder “there has been much speculation concerning his death”.

“We simply do not know the actual truth of the matter and the purpose of an inquest is to examine the evidence, establish the facts and to put to rest any rumours or suspicions regarding his death,” he said.

“My father’s inquest was ordered nine years ago.

“It is unfortunate that the state parties have taken so long to begin to perfect its obligations on disclosure to the coroner.”

Lawyer Fearghál Shiels, of Madden and Finucane Solicitors, said: “The Legacy Act requires a coroner to close an inquest if he is satisfied that the death occurs as a result of an act of violence relating to the constitutional status of Northern Ireland or from political or sectarian hostility.”

And he added: “There is a significant body of evidence which suggests that Sergeant Campbell was murdered due to his knowledge of the non-political and non-sectarian criminal activities carried out by a colleague within the RUC and a criminal associate in the Glens of Antrim.”

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