Elliott shocked at news of Bloody Sunday murder inquiry

Ulster Unionist Justice spokesperson Tom Elliott has expressed his shock at the news that the Police are to carry out a murder inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday.

Mr Elliott said;

“I am absolutely shocked at this decision which has come as a bolt from the blue.”

I have deep concerns if this is an indication as to where we as a society are going regarding dealing with the past.

This decision taken by Public Prosecution Service will - in addition to diverting valuable police resources from other areas for a period of four years - assist republicans in promoting their fantasy of a ‘just war’ and will cause great hurt once again to the victims and families of victims of atrocities such as Bloody Friday, La Mon and Enniskillen.

Here we see the hierarchy of victims. Those who received a fully funded public inquiry have the Attorney General setting up a murder trial. Those whose loved ones died at the hands of terrorists and who have been denied such an Inquiry are not being afforded equality.

As my Party Leader Mike Nesbitt said in our Paper ‘Dealing With the Past’

‘The current mechanisms (of dealing with the past) are imperfect, incomplete and imbalanced, and are serving to re-write history, painting the state and its security force personnel as the villains.’

This is totally unacceptable and a slur on those who volunteered to don the uniform, put themselves in harm’s way, and held the line against a terrorist threat to Northern Ireland that lasted nearly 40 years.

If the Public Prosecution Service are going to seek to conduct a murder investigation based on the findings of the Saville Inquiry, I can only assume they will also be seeking to question Martin McGuinness regarding the findings of that same Inquiry that he was armed on Bloody Sunday Sunday?

And if not, why not?”

-ENDS-

News Archives