Loughgall families ‘were not aware’ of HET report findings
THE sister of a Dungannon IRA man who was shot dead during an attack on Loughgall police station more than 30 years ago, says her family have not been made aware that a report by the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) into his death and the deaths of eight others on that night, has been completed.
Mairead Kelly, sister of Patrick Kelly, was speaking following a newspaper article which claimed that the HET investigation had concluded that the IRA unit opened fire first in the incident in 1987.
The other IRA men who died that night were Declan Arthurs, 21; Seamus Donnelly, 19; Michael Gormley, 25; Eugene Kelly, 25; James Lynagh, 31, Patrick McKearney, 32 and Gerard O’Callaghan, 29.
A civilian, Anthony Hughes, was also killed during the incident.
According to the newspaper report, the PSNI Historical Enquiries Team found the SAS was within its rights to shoot the men.
The brother-in-law of Sinn Fein’s Barry McElduff wife was one of those killed.
The West Tyrone MLA, commenting on the news article, said: “The first thing to say is that the eight IRA Volunteers killed at Loughgall were much loved by their families and by the communities from which they came. Likewise Anthony Hughes.”
Mr McElduff continued: “The men killed at Loughgall were victims of a British Government policy of Shoot-to-Kill. Nobody believes that the British Army unit were sent into Loughgall that evening to arrest anybody. They were sent there to kill the IRA unit and that is what they did. If the HET try and put forward a different theory it will say more about that groups credibility than anything else.
“The families of those killed at Loughgall deserve the truth. They do not deserve continuing cover-up and concealment by the British government or by the HET. The fact that this report was leaked to the media before being given to the families says much about the intent of the HET with regard to this investigation.”
Mairead Kelly said she accepted “fully” that her brother Patrick and the other “IRA men that night were armed”.
However, she questioned the accuracy of the information given in the newspaper report.
“The families are the point of contact with the HET regarding this review,” she said.
“At no stage have the families been told that a report has been completed. As a matter of fact, I have been given assurances that this report is not completed and I have no hint about what is in the report.”
Previously it was reported that the soldiers fired more than 600 bullets with the IRA men firing 70 shots.
According to the Belfast Telegraph, the HET found that members of the IRA unit opened fire as they approached the police station.
The HET have refused to comment on the story.
Investigators are believed to have concluded that the IRA members could not have been arrested safely.
It is understood the full findings of the report are due to be released within weeks.
In 2001, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the British government should pay £10,000 compensation to each of the families of the IRA members killed in the Loughgall incident.
