RUC SCUM

State sponsored terror
British Collusion in Murder and Terrorism

How can I tell my kids to respect the RUC.

Disband the RUC child killers now

RIP

Carol Anne Kelly, aged 12

Killed by a plastic bullet.

Click to see his story

RIP

Stephen McConomy, aged 11

Killed with a plastic bullet.

THE RUC - A MILITARY POLICE FORCE IN THE NORTH OF IRELAND
A force no Nationalist can trust.
The RUC, which was founded in 1921, following partition in Ireland, cannot be reformed, re-organised or otherwise.

The only possible solution, acceptable to the Nationalist/Republican people of the North of Ireland, would be a total disbandment of this current sectarian, bigoted & anti-nationalist/republican police force, who down through the years have shown gross disrespect, intimidated, harassed & threatened our people. It is common knowledge, world wide, that the RUC have colluded with Loyalist death squads, resulting in may hundreds of our people being cruelly murdered, thus, trying to quell our legitimate nationalist aspirations.

It is accepted that highly placed RUC member, including Assistant Chief Constables & Heads of Special Branch, throughout the North of Ireland, have passed on private & confidential information regarding the nationalist/republican community to the many illegal & proscribed loyalist organisation, who then carried out their murderer & callous deeds with the back-up & assistance of the RUC personnel on duty, in whatever location designated for the atrocity to be carried out, on the unsuspecting victim. Poignantly, South Armagh has experienced some of the worst atrocities carried out, at the hands of the RUC & at their guidance. Some of the incidents, which we shall go into later, include the shooting & bombing of Donnelly€s Pub in Silverbridge, Tully€s Bar in Whitecross, McArdles in Crossmaglen, bombing of the Rock bar in Keady, the shooting dead of the Reavey brothers, the so-called follow-up investigation by the RUC following the murder of Fergal Caraher by the British marines, too name but a few. The murder of Peter Cleary & John Francis Green. The shooting at six young men on 19th November 1998 at Donnelly's bar.

Collusion by the RUC comes in many forms. A recent incident involved the "Rev Ian Paisley" who is the leader of the DUP, who on Wednesday 27th January 1999, under the cloak of British Parliamentary privilege, issued a statement in the House of Commons in London, accusing 22 men of alleged incidents. Ian Paisley claimed that the information he had at hand, was compiled by and given to him by the RUC. The RUC denied this, stating that the information had been leaked to him. Ian Paisley & all other Unionist MPs s have the privilege of so-called 'Freedom of Speech' in British Parliament, without liability to action or impeachment, and immunity from legal proceedings. All 22 men named by Ian Paisley, now fear for their lives & that of their families, which is understandable, given that several more loyalist death squads have now been formed & are fully operational, with the back-up & assistance provided by members of the RUC. This latest act of violation against ones basic civil human rights has astounded and frightened our community.

The sudden & horrific death of Rosemary Nelson, whom I knew personally, says volumes. Too suggest that the RUC colluded with Loyalists, resulting in the murder of Rosemary, is too weak an explanation. It goes much deeper than that. The Nationalist community accepts that the RUC was directly involved in this murder. There must be a fully Independent International investigation, if the perpetrators are ever to be brought to justice. It is feared within our community, that all evidence relating to the horrific murder will by now, have been destroyed by the RUC. How can one, expect the Nelson family, and our community, to have any confidence, whatsoever, in this so-called RUC investigation. It's like asking one criminal to investigate another criminal. The RUC systematically threatened her life and that of her family, directly and indirectly, all of which is much documented. Even the Independent Commission for Police Complaints removed the RUC from an investigation into complaints made by 15 Solicitors, which included Rosemary Nelson, against the RUC. It is despicable and an insult to the Nelson family, her friends, the Garvaghy Road Coalition and all who liased with her through her legal profession, that the RUC should in any way, be involved in this so-called investigation with David Philips from Kent and an FBI agent, sitting in the wings. It has come to light that neither Mr Philips or the FBI agent are currently in the North of Ireland.

RUC TACTICS
The use of rubber bullets, replaced by plastic bullets, is only too often used against the Nationalist/Republican community. Too date, seventeen people have been killed, broken down as three by rubber bullets & fourteen by the use of plastic bullets. The majority of the victims were women & children, all in non-riot situations. In fact, eight children were murdered by the use of baton rounds. There should be no presumption that this level of force or live rounds is needed.

The existence of the Shoot to Kill policy which was welcomed by the Unionists Politicians, was widely used in 1982 and the years following. In fact, it is still prevalent, today. Following the murders of six unarmed men, four from Lurgan & two from Armagh City, in late November 1982, led to a public outcry, from the Nationalist/Republican community. This resulted in John Stalker a deputy chief constable in the Greater Manchester Police, being drafted into the North of Ireland, to investigate the killings in 1985. The case became known as the Stalker affair. After two years and near completion of his assignment, which would expose serious and criminal wrong doings by members of the RUC, he was ordered home by the RUC, suspended from his duties and accused of improprieties, through a whispering campaign, directly by the RUC. John Stalker was cleared of these allegations. The results of his enquiry have never been made public, despite public demand. Colin Sampson, a Chief Constable of the West Yorkshire police force, was then brought into €complete€ the Stalker enquiry.

Following his investigation, Patrick Mayhew, the then Attorney-General, issued a statement on the 25th January 1988, announcing that the eleven RUC officers who had been investigated by John Stalker and his successor, Colin Sampson, would not be prosecuted, reasons being, for 'national security'. In 1989, John Stevens a deputy Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire was appointed to head an enquiry into the RUC, in an effort to quell the controversy over collusion between the RUC and Loyalist Death squads and also following the murder of Loughlin Maginn on 25th August 1989, by the UDA. His and other murders followed the leaking of top-secret security files by the RUC and UDR to Loyalist death squads. Too date, more that 2000 of such files have been released to the aforementioned. However, his offices situated in Carrickfergus, were mysteriously destroyed in a fire, it is thought, by Loyalists, on the orders of the disgruntled RUC.

RUC Collusion with Loyalist Death Squads
In a personal autobiography due to be published in May, John Weir, and ex member of the RUC, reveals startling new evidence, which substantiates that collusion within the RUC and several loyalist death squads was ever-present, from the mid 1970€s, too date, operating mainly in South Armagh, which resulted in 20 deaths, and many hundreds being injured, and indeed, permanently maimed for life. The families of the bereaved and injured have always had strong suspicions about RUC involvement both directly and indirectly in the atrocities carried out in the aforementioned period. The revelations by John Weir has led to the formation of a pressure group in the South Armagh area, who are currently collecting evidence on all incidents, so as to push for a public enquiry into the murders and attempted murders of all the victims involved. It has been reported by the Sunday Times newspaper, that a dossier they had in their possession of Weir's allegations with names of most of the RUC members and loyalist death squads, has been handed to the RUC for investigation.

THE FOLLOWING WAS PUBLISHED IN THE SUNDAY TIMES ON 7TH MARCH 1999
"Weir, born in 1950, into an Unionist family was brought up near Castleblayney in Co Monaghan. Following his education at a boarding school in Dublin, he decided on joining the RUC, admitting this was because of his family background. In 1971 he was posted to Strandtown RUC barracks, a mainly loyalist area in east Belfast where the UDA blatantly patrolled the neighbourhoods.

John Weir, was a former police sergeant in the RUC from 1971 until December 1979, when he was arrested for his part in the murder of William Strathearn a catholic shopkeeper, who was murdered on 19th April 1977. He confirms that collusion between loyalist paramilitaries, the British army and the RUC has always been prevalent. In his book he has produced names and cited specific incidents to back up his claims. On the 23rd June 1976 two RUC officers from an elite anti terrorist unit called the Special Patrol Group, approached John Weir at the RUC sports grounds in east Belfast. He agreed to their line, that it was time to throw away the RUC rulebook, upon hearing that they had already attempted mass murder. They stated that they had carried out a shooting and bomb attack at the Rock bar in Keady, in South Armagh. Weir readily agreed to pre-emptive strikes against the nationalist community.

He confirms that when the British government declared a firearms amnesty, this enabled the RUC, sanctioned by senior ranking officers, to arm the loyalist paramilitaries by distributing guns, that had been handed in to the RUC stations, mainly to the UDA. In 1973 he was assigned to the Special Patrol Group in Armagh, where RUC officers were very anti-republican and anti-nationalist with sectarian attitudes towards the catholic community. He readily admits that he and others readily assaulted Catholics periodically. Since Weir and his cohorts, namely the RUC, regarded the loyalist paramilitaries as allies, they passed personal information about Catholics to these groups, namely the Ulster Defence Association and the Ulster Volunteer Force. Weir admits that his group was so provocative towards Catholics, that it was restricted from patrolling nationalist areas, in particular, Crossmaglen and Silverbridge. Angry at this restriction, Weir and another officer, who is still serving in the RUC, approached Harold McCusker, who was then a local Unionist MP. Upon hearing their objections, McCusker was able to reverse the decision, thus allowing Weir€s group to continuing patrolling in the South Armagh area.

Another RUC officer, Billy McCaughey from Lurgan expressed virulently anti catholic views to other RUC colleagues, making it known that he had strong links with the UVF, and that he had been a member of the Ulster Protestant Volunteers, a Paisleyite paramilitary group before he joined the RUC. Weir has noted that a Special Branch recommendation that McCaughey be excluded after his probationary period was over ridden by an RUC inspector's report that described him as 'one of the best'. Weir also acknowledges that he, McCaughey and another RUC constable, namely Gary Armstrong became drinking partners, whiling away their hours drinking & planning.

In January 1975 Weir discovered that John Francis Green was living in Mullyash, just outside Castleblayney in Co Monaghan. Weir passed this information on to his colleagues in the Special Branch. John Francis Green was subsequently murdered by the SAS. The circumstances of the murder, taken from a publication titled "The SAS in Ireland" by Raymond Murray, is as follows: John Francis Green was murdered on 10th January 1975 at Gerry Carville€s farm house in Mullyash mountain. At 6.20pm on 10th January 1975 J F Green left Castleblayney town, intending to visit Gerry Carville who was a middle aged man who lived alone on his own farm in the remote area of Mullyash. J F Green arrived at his friends home at 6.30pm. Upon his arrival, Gerry left his home to milk cows, and do general farm work. J F Green remained in the home, to wash and get ready for a function, which was to be held later that evening. At 7.05pm Mr Carville noticed all the lights in the house were turned on, which was unusual. Unknown, to the owner of the property, the SAS had burst into the house, emptying the contents of two pistols into the body of J F Green. Nairac, who admitted to Holroyd at the British army€s Mahon road camp in Portadown that he murdered J F Green, took several Polaroid photographs to confirm this gruesome murder. These photographs which Holroyd kept in his photo album, were passed to the RUC in 1982 and are still in their possession.

It has been reported that either a white Mercedes or Audi ferried the killers to the remote farmhouse, and that this vehicle had been seen in the area prior to the murder. Members of the UVF were also involved in the murder. It is felt that a public enquiry should be held on both sides of the border and that the answer lies with the Gardai and the RUC. Reports like the inquest transcripts, the forensic details and the pathologist€s report should be provided to aid such an enquiry. (END)

Following this gruesome murder, Weir was transferred to Castlereagh RUC barracks were he had access to vast amounts of intelligence material, which he and his colleagues pass routinely to the UDA & UVF. It was at this stage that Weir was approached, on 23rd June 1976. The RUC officers also told him that they already had group operating in South Armagh. Weir states that several days later, they met in Armstrong's (member of RUC) home in Armagh. It was confirmed to Weir that the RUC were working closely with the UVF, passing information, and that nationalist they had set up had just been shot by the UVF. Other meetings were held in another RUC reservist's home in Markethill in Co Armagh to plot and plan further atrocities. In fact Weir states that this home was a regular meeting place for the UVF, RUC and the Ulster Defence Regiment, previously known as the B Specials, and now renamed the Royal Irish Regiment, RIR. Weir states categorically, that his new comrades informed him that members of the British Army and the UDR were responsible for the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of May 1974, in which 33 people died. Weir claims that the operation was organised by Billy Hanna and that the cars used 'one from Portadown , and one from Belfast ' stopped at the RUC reservist's house for the explosives, which were supplied by a businessman who was also a part-time officer in the UDR€s intelligence section.

Other crimes that Weir said were carried out by the group in South Armagh, before he joined included:

An attack on Donnelly's bar at Silverbridge on 19th December 1975, in which three people were killed, many injured and some maimed for life. (detailed seperately)

Three members of the O'Dowd family, namedly Declan O'Dowd aged 19 years, his brother Barry aged 24 years and their uncle Joseph O'Dowd aged 61 years were killed on 4th January 1976 when men burst into their home near Gilford and shot them.

The massacre of three members of the Reavey family on 4th January 1976 in their family home in the village of Whitecross. Brian Reavey aged 22 years and John Martin Reavey aged 25 years died instantly. A third brother, Anthony Reavey aged 17 years died on 30th January 1976 following his injuries. The three brothers were sitting in the living room, John Martin and Anthony at each side of the fire, Brian in the middle of the room opposite the fire. The key was in the door, allowing the murderer's to gain access. John Martin was riddled in the chest with sub machine gun fire. As Brian and Anthony charged for the bedroom door, Anthony dragging an armchiar for protections, the gunmen spread their gunfire over the chair. Brian was shot in the back, with the bullet going through his heart. Anthony dived under a bed. The gunman fired six shots into Anthony's thighs, leaving him for dead. Anthony crawled 300 yards to raise the alarm. (information on the O'Dowd & Reavey family provided by the SAS in Ireland, book written by Raymond Murray)

A bomb attack on Tully's bar in Belleek on 7th Mary 1976.
Weir is adamant that RUC, UDR and British Army were involved in these crimes, and that they had the unofficial imprimatur of senior RUC men. Weir also states that his first operation was to help two members of the UVF and an RUC officer bomb Renaghan€s bar in Clontibret in Co Monaghan. Whilst he checked the roads across the border into the South of Ireland, he learnt that the Gardai were expecting a bomb. Their operation had to be aborted, he states when a member of the UVF from Moy in Co Tyrone was arrested and talked under interrogation. Weir states that they then decided to transport the bomb to a pub called the Step Inn in Keady in South Armagh, which resulted in the deaths of two Catholics.

Following the Keady murders, he was promoted to sergeant and transferred to Newry were he took part in a plot to sell home-made machineguns, manufactured in Castlewellan Co Down, by a group called Down Orange Welfare. He also states that the picked the guns up from an RUC officer in Newry, Co Down, and transported them to the UVF, through the Markethill RUC reservist. Weir names one of this RUC associates as Harry Breen, then an uniformed RUC chief inspector, and later promoted to a Special Branch Superintendent. Armstrong introduced weir to Robin Jackson, from Donaghacloney. Robin Jackson was nick named the Jackal, because of the many ruthless murders he carried out against the Catholic community. He died in June 1998.

Weir states that in April 1977, he and McCaughey took Jackson and R J Kerr, another UVF killer, to Ahoghill. There, Jackson shot dead William Strathearn, a grocer. This murder led to widespread revulsion. Weir states, that following this murder, he was summoned by Brian Fitzsimmons, then a Special Branch Inspector and later promoted to assistant Chief constable and head of anti-terrorist activities. Fitzsimmons told Weir, that he knew he had connections, and that he wanted Weir to make more connections with the UVF & UDA. An RUC inspector asked Weir and another accomplice in the RUC, to plant guns on Donal Walsh from Belleek in South Armagh. Another suggestion was made that he should get a group of loyalists to kill a prominent businessman in South Armagh. Both suggestions were aborted.

Weir was then transferred to Dunmurray RUC station on the outskirts of Belfast. Weir states that he felt he had protection and approval from the RUC. McCaughey signed himself into a mental home in an effort to escape the investigation that was underway, presumably. Both Weir and McCaughey were arrested for the Strathearn murder and both started to talk under interrogation. Weir offered to turn Queens evidence against Jackson in return for immunity. He was offered a deal whereby the would have his sentence reviewed after five years, but would still be prosecuted and have no guarantee of early release. Weir states that he turned this offer down, and served 14 years in prison. He maintains to this day that the fact that Jackson was not prosecuted is evidence enough that senior officers were protecting the loyalist murderer. It is stated that Jackson may have authorised 50 killings over a 16-year period. A Chief Superintendent Eric Anderson, deputy head of CID, stated that after reviewing police files, that €Kerr and Jackson were not charged because there was no evidence against them. Anderson also stated that he believed there was no point in interviewing Jackson about the murder.

According to the Sunday Times newspaper, an RUC spokesman said that after examining a dossier of Weirs statements, the allegations were fully examined at the time. All Files of the period were re-examined shortly after Weir€s conviction by Anderson, Kevin Sheehy and Frank Murray, another senior detective. Weir is adamant that there are highly placed members of the RUC, Special Branch and British army intelligence involved. (end of Sunday Times extracts)"

Another well known loyalist figure, who was responsible for many murders against the Nationalist community was Billy Wright. Again, Billy Wright was protected, influenced and trained by the RUC.