THE Police Ombudsman has been asked to investigate the murder of three Catholic men by the UDA in north Belfast 30 years ago.
The victims were Francis Burns (62), Peter Orderly (50) and RAF veteran John Lovett (72), who had been tortured by the Japanese during the Second World War.
He died a day after the attack.
The men were standing in James Murray's betting shop in the Oldpark area of north Belfast in November 1992 when a UDA gang burst in.
The triple murder has largely been forgotten but has echoes of a similar attack in which five men were murdered at Sean Graham bookmakers on Ormeau Road months earlier.
Police Ombudsman Marie Anderson is due to release a report into that incident and others later today.
Collusion is strongly suspected by relatives in the Oldpark attack and witnesses later claimed that both the British army and RUC had checkpoints in place close to the bookmakers prior to the attack.
Two men entered the bookies, with one spraying the building with a Czech made VZ-58 assault rifle while the other threw a Russian-made hand grenade at customers.
Notorious sectarian killer Stephen McKeag is believed to have been involved in the massacre.
The hitman, who was known as ‘Top Gun’, is believed to have killed at least 12 people on behalf of the UDA’s notorious 'C Company'.
He died of a drugs overdose in September 2000.
Based in the Shankill Road area, ‘C Company' was headed by Johnny Adair, who was later exiled to Scotland following a loyalist feud.
The family of Mr Burns, who was suffering from throat cancer at the time he was murdered, have asked the Police Ombudsman to investigate.
His son Pat Burns believes there was collusion.
"There were security forces outside the bookies before the attack," he said.
"How did they (the killers) get in and out?
"Johnny Adair's crew were coming at will and killing people. That was supposed to be a heavily militarised area.
"Who has the answers - the British government.
"People who had nothing to do with the Troubles were being killed for sectarian reasons."
Mr Burns spoke of the trauma suffered by his family.
"We had a closed coffin, it was a closed coffin because of the horrific injuries he sustained," he said.
"You like to see somebody before they are buried but we were denied that."
A spokesman for the Police Ombudsman said it has received a complaint and it "will now be assessed to determine whether it falls within the statutory remit for investigation".
It is understood the case is set to be considered shortly.
Solicitor Kevin Winters, of KRW Law, said "the pain felt by the next of kin of those killed and the survivors is made worse when you look at the total failure of the authorities to investigate it".
He claimed RUC Special Branch "controlled" that unit of the UDA at a critical time in the conflict.
"Despite the passage of time these victims still live for the day when the state can explain why this was allowed to happen."
A spokesman for the PSNI said: "As a complaint has been made to the office of Police Ombudsman it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."
