Northern Ireland

Relatives of Glenanne Gang victims pledge to keep fighting for the truth

Edward Barnard outside the High Court in Belfast yesterday. Picture by Hugh Russell.
Edward Barnard outside the High Court in Belfast yesterday. Picture by Hugh Russell. Edward Barnard outside the High Court in Belfast yesterday. Picture by Hugh Russell.

RELATIVES of people killed by the Glenanne Gang have pledged to keep fighting for the truth.

Eddie Barnard’s 13-year-old brother Patrick was one of four people who died in a bomb blast at the Hillcrest Bar in Dungannon on St Patrick's Day in March 1976.

Welcoming yesterday's court ruling, he said: “Twenty family members have tragically passed away since the commencement of the process yet we could not, and will not give up until the truth is uncovered.

“We urge the chief constable not to make the same mistakes as the previous one, and to ensure that this court judgment is complied with without further delay.”

Denise Mullen was just three when members of the Glenanne Gang murdered her father at their home near Moy, Co Tyrone in September 1975.

Denis Mullen (36) was a prominent SDLP member and a veteran of the civil rights movement and his daughter is now a party councillor.

“My mother is 77 today and my father was murdered in 1975 and 20 family members have died in the past three or four years who never got any accountability,” she said.

“It is important for my mother who was shot at herself and who lost her husband on the doorstep and who lost her home and whose life has been impacted so much.”

South Armagh man Eugene Reavey, whose three brothers were killed in 1976, said the police investigation should be time-limited to five years.

He added that he was not interested in compensation and all he wanted was the truth.

"It's not hard to tell the truth," he said.

Solicitor Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law, who represents relatives of those killed by the gang, said yesterday was a “momentous day” for families in “their quest for truth and justice”.

Sinn Féin MLA Linda Dillon said the court was clear that an independent investigation must take place.

“The new PSNI Chief Constable should now listen to the courts and listen to the families."

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood also said the Glenanne families deserve justice.

“Today’s ruling and the PSNI response to it marks the first test for new Chief Constable Simon Byrne. He must fulfil the legal and moral obligation to victims and their families."