McGurk's Bar families lodge maladministration complaint against Police Ombudsman

The families of the victims of the McGurk's bar bombing have lodged a complaint against the Police Ombudsman.

The complaint alleges that the office withheld information from the families as well as discrimination.

Fifteen people, including two children, were killed in the McGurk's Bar massacre on 4 December 1971 when a loyalist bomb went off in the doorway.

In the days after the massacre, official sources claimed the bomb had been an "IRA own-goal" in which a bomb had been left inside the building.

It would be seven years before a member of the UVF was convicted of the 15 murders.

The complaint lodged by the families centres in part of an accusation that the Ombudsman withheld evidence pointing to collusion by loyalist paramilitaries and the security forces.

They say that the Police Ombudsman failed to properly consider evidence that they interpret as showing that the British army and the RUC knowingly spread the "own-goal" theory.

The complaint alleges that the Ombudsman failed to consider this new evidence of what they describe as "collusion" between the RUC and senior British army officials.

Ciarán MacAirt, grandson of Kathleen Irvine who was murdered in the massacre said that the Ombudsman is "willfully withholding information relating to a secret agreement between the RUC and British Army to blame our loved ones for the Massacre.

“This latest OPONI failure to withhold evidence and regard new evidence are the latest in a long line of Police Ombudsman failures over 13 years. The Office has discriminated against our families and blocked our equal access to truth, justice, and acknowledgement.

“We believe these grave failures amount to maladministration and an abuse of power.”

The Police Ombudsman's report into the massacre in 2011 found that there was no evidence that the RUC had colluded with the UVF in planting the bomb.

It did find however that the investigation into the bombing was biased in favour of the view that the IRA was responsible.

In response, the Police Ombudsman said: "The Police Ombudsman has received the complaint, which she will fully and carefully consider before issuing a response to the serious matters alleged".

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