A man whose son was murdered by the UVF has urged the Labour Government to go further by “scrapping” the Legacy Act in its entirety rather than repealing parts of it.
Raymond McCord (22) was found beaten to death in a quarry at Ballyduff, Newtownabbey, in 1997.
Following confirmation in the King’s Speech that the Legacy Act will be repealed, his father, also named Raymond McCord, said he was disappointed as he was “led to believe that the bill would be scrapped”.
Mr McCord added: “The whole lot needs to go. It’s as simple as that.”
The new Government has committed to repealing “the conditional immunity scheme” of the Act.
That was the most controversial part of the legislation, which gave immunity to former soldiers and paramilitaries for acts committed during the Troubles.
This was removed from the legislation earlier this year as a result of a High Court judgment.
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The Government has said it will reverse the policy prohibiting victims and their families from taking civil claims and it will set out steps to allow the resumption of Troubles-era inquests.
It will also “explore options to strengthen the independence” of Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).
Mr McCord said he recently chaired an event at which Sir Declan Morgan, chief commissioner of the ICRIR, appeared and the whole audience “rejected the ICRIR”.
This November will mark the 27th anniversary of Mr McCord’s death and his father has questioned why families cannot have a “normal inquest”.
He added: “Raymond’s case has started, then over the years been adjourned and adjourned — not through our fault but the state not disclosing documents, the police not playing ball with us and other bodies in the state.
“Make no mistake, this comes from Downing Street. The British Government is frightened of what will be exposed at inquests, particularly in my son’s inquest where collusion was proven and accepted by the O’Loan report in 2007.”
He said emails to Hilary Benn, the new Secretary of State, about a meeting have been “ignored” and that he believes “he’s afraid to meet us because he knows we’re steadfast on this ICRIR issue”.
Clive Eagleson, whose father, John, an RUC officer, was killed by the Provisional IRA in Cookstown in 1982, said the Legacy Act was a “total letdown”.
He believes there has been undue focus on the security services and that everybody responsible for Troubles murders should be “held accountable”.
Mr Eagleson added: “For too long we have watched inquest after inquest and it all seems to be one-sided, in my view.”
He added: “I want truth and justice for my family and all innocent victims. For too long we’ve been put in the corner. They should be top priority, with a lot more guidance from victims.
“The Republic of Ireland Government also has to stand up and play a part in accountability too.”
Michael O’Hare with a photograph of his sister Majella, who was shot dead by the Army in Co Armagh in 1976 (Victoria Jones/PA)
Michael O’Hare’s 12-year-old sister Majella was shot and killed by a soldier on her way to church with a group of friends in 1976. He said his family believed the door for justice had been closed.
“This is an important day for families like ours, who thought we’d seen the door closed forever on these cases,” he said.
“Majella was just an innocent little girl who didn’t deserve to be gunned down when walking along the road with her friends.
“We deserve truth and accountability. It’s a huge relief that that is now a possibility again, even if we have had to wait half a century. It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said it was a “decisive move by the Government to repeal this unconscionable legislation”.
He added: “In a society where there is so much hurt, pain and grief, it is important that the hope of justice remains.
“This legislation was fundamentally flawed and morally repugnant because it extinguished that hope for many innocent victims.
“We urge the Government to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors, because repeating them would only cause more emotional distress to victims and damage the work of reconciliation in our society.”
Sinn Fein MP John Finucane said: “The British Government has said it will now begin the process of repealing the Tories’ shameful Legacy Act, which has failed victims and survivors.
“This is a welcome commitment and we will engage with them on the full details of their approach in the days ahead.”
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said his party “worked hard alongside Labour MPs to make the repeal of the toxic Tory Legacy Act an early commitment of the new Government in London”.
Tanaiste Micheal Martin said it is “very welcome” that the new UK Government is “following through on their election manifesto commitment to repeal and replace the Legacy Act”.
The Northern Ireland Office has been contacted for comment.