Northern Ireland

Collusion alleged in IRA murder of loyalist

A report into the IRA killing of loyalist William Marchant will be presented to the Police Ombudsman
A report into the IRA killing of loyalist William Marchant will be presented to the Police Ombudsman

The family of a former UVF man shot dead by the IRA are set to present the Police Ombudsman with an independent report.

William ‘Frenchie’ Marchant was killed by the IRA on Belfast's Shankill Road in April 1987.

The republican group later claimed responsibility and said the victim was involved in the loyalist murder of senior republican Larry Marley in north Belfast weeks earlier.

No-one has ever been convicted in relation to the attack on Mr Marchant.

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The family, who believe there was collusion, has now compiled a 68-page report which will be presented to the Police Ombudsman today.

Published by the Ulidia Legacy and Educational Trust, the report claims that undercover RUC members were less than 500 meters away when the murder took place and failed to intervene.

The document also concludes that a secret British army unit was given access to the murder scene and furnished a report to the Force Research Unit but their involvement was never made known to an inquest.

It is also claimed that police had details of a property where suspects were located but that officers were prevented from entering it for more than four hours.

They also allege that witness statements were altered to remove descriptions of suspects from the investigation.

In a statement Mr Marchant’s family said the report “catalogues the collusion process that took place between elements of the British security apparatus, republican murder gangs, and criminal elements posing as loyalists”.

Former UDA member Jim Craig, who was killed by his own organisation in 1988, has been linked to the murder of Mr Marchant and is believed by some to have set him up.

A spokesman for the PSNI said: “The murder of William Marchant in April 1987 currently sits within the caseload of Legacy Investigation Branch (LIB) for future review in accordance with LIB’s Case Sequencing Model.

“Regrettably, due to the LIB caseload, we are unable to give any undertaking as to when this review will commence.

“We understand the suffering his family continue to go through as they await this review and how difficult it must be for them.”