COMMENTING on the publication of the Police Ombudsman report into the UVF murder of six innocent people in Loughinisland, Sinn Féin Assembly member for South Down Caitriona Ruane also was very critical of the Police Ombudsmanxa0Al Hutchinson adding he had failed to match the findings of his report with the obvious conclusion that the murders were carried out through collusion.
Ms Ruane said,xa0“The first thing I would do is pay tribute to the families of those killed at Loughinisland. It is clear that the intention was that the circumstances surrounding these murders would never be properly investigated and revealed. It is only through their determination that the campaign for the truth has reached this point.
“If ever there was a case which demonstrated collusion it is the murders at Loughinisland. That is the only conclusion which can be reached, even from the information put in the public domain today by the Ombudsman. His failure to reach that very obvious conclusion on the basis of the evidence in front of him is a matter which he needs to explain.
[caption id="attachment_9610" align="alignleft" width="271" caption=" South Down Caitriona Ruane has condemned the Police Ombudsman's Report. "]
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“But let nobody reading the conclusions of this report fool themselves. The people who planned the murders at Loughinisland, those at the very top of the UVF are agents.The man who provided the car is a debriefed agent. The Mount Vernon UVF who carried it out, a number of whom are currently being debriefed, are agents.
“The driver of the car is a convicted paedophile who is an agent and who later received a Royal prerogative. This isn’t speculation or propaganda, it is fact. At every stage in this murder plot a state agent was central. British State agents murdering citizens is collusion.
“Sinn Féin will continue to support the families in their campaign for the truth. The Report does not mark the end rather the start of a new phase,” added Ms Ruane.
Tonight at 7pm (Tuesday 28th June), the Police Ombudsman is meeting with the families of those murdered in the Loughinisland shooting back in 1994. The meeting will be in the Loughinisland GAA building. Already the Ombudsman has come in for heavy criticism for falling short of saying that there was collusion between the police and the UVF killers. The meeting will be a difficult one as he tries to explain his position in light of the evidence available.
