News

No proper investigation

A HISTORICAL Enquiries Team report found there had been no proper investigation into the murder of Dorothy Trainor in April 1975.

Anne Cadwallader, author of the book Lethal Allies British Collusion in Ireland, said the gun used to murder the mother of 11 points towards her being a victim of the notorious UVF 'Glenanne Gang', The gun that killed the 51-year-old originally belonged to a member of the UDR man. "The weapon, a 9mm, small-calibre, Spanish-made 'Star' pistol, serial number 344164, was originally a personal-protection weapon belonging to UDR private, Robert Winters - a founding member of the modern UVF ", Ms Cadwallader said. "Winters told police he lost the weapon after he was robbed by three men in Portadown late at night in March 1973. "He claimed he was 'struck on the head with a blunt instrument' and knocked out. "Clearly, his assailants knew who Winters was and had targeted him to obtain the weapon."

The gun was later used in the attempted murder of Portadown man Patrick Turley and was one of the two weapons used to shoot republican fugitive John Francis Green in Co Monaghan.

The Star pistol was discovered when police arrested a serving UDR man, David George Teggart. It was destroyed in 1982.

The HET strongly criticised the RUC investigation into Dorothy's murder.

A report given to the family noted: "Available records do not show an effective police investigation. Realistic evidential opportunities seem to have been missed or disregarded".