The sole survivor of a sectarian massacre of 10 Protestant workmen has threatened legal action over the failure to appoint a new coroner to hear a fresh inquest into the murders.
A number of relatives bereaved in the 1976 attack near the Co Armagh village of Kingsmill joined Alan Black in issuing the ultimatum to Stormont’s Department of Justice.
Northern Ireland’s senior coroner John Leckey has been presiding over preliminary proceedings ahead of the new inquest being heard but he is due to retire in the autumn.
No other coroner has been assigned to the case, despite repeated calls from Mr Leckey for justice minister David Ford to find a successor.
During Mr Leckey’s final preliminary hearing in the case before retirement, a lawyer representing Mr Black and the family of victim John McConville warned judicial review proceedings would be initiated if no action is taken.
Mr Black attended the hearing in Belfast Coroner’s Court and afterwards he insisted the families would not accept a further hold-up in their long battle for an inquest.
“Over the years it’s been one obstacle put in our way after another and it’s all coming from the Department of Justice,” he said.
“David Ford wants to kick us into the long grass again. We are just going to refuse to go into the long grass again. So we will do whatever is necessary with the legal people and hopefully get a result then.”
The textile workers were gunned down after a masked gang stopped their minibus close to Kingsmill as they were travelling home from work.
They were forced to line up alongside the van and ordered to divulge their religion. The only Catholic worker was told to flee the scene while the 11 remaining workers were shot.
Mr Black survived despite being hit 18 times.
No-one has ever been convicted of the murders, which have been widely blamed on the IRA even though the organisation never admitted responsibility.
There is currently no plan in place to appoint a new senior coroner. Mr Leckey’s retirement would leave only two full-time coroners in post with one on long-term sick leave.
Mr Ford has announced plans to potentially utilise county court judges to act as coroners in the future and there are also proposals to appoint a number of deputy coroners. However, no concrete steps have yet been announced, despite Mr Leckey’s retirement only weeks away.
The next preliminary hearing has been set for September 11 but Mr Leckey warned that it would not go ahead if a new coroner had not been appointed to the case.
