Historical Enquiries Team

[Orior]

The body set up to probe deaths during the Troubles in Northern Ireland investigated cases where the state was involved with "less rigour" than others, a police watchdog has found.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-23161353

This holds very true for me. I have a close friend whose father, a Catholic, owned a pub on the Shore Road in Belfast and was shot dead as he closed his pub. The pub was next door to a police station. The incident occured in the 1970's.

At the time, the police just treated it as a robbery gone wrong, saying that it was not sectarian even though the killers shouted sectarian abuse. The family were never happy with the RUC story and the HET chose to ignore it as well.

The family are ordinary decent people, never involved in politics but very much at the bottom of the victim's hierarchy.

I'll remove the thread if anyone advises that it is inappropriate.

[omagh_gael]

Surprised this hasn't been mentioned earlier. I'm sure a few ex-squaddies are getting twitchy following this review. Although I'd be extremely surprised if any convictions arise out of these 'state' murders.

[artisan2010]

Why should they get twitchy. I maybe slightly wrong in terms of numbers but I thought there were only ever two British soldiers ever imprisoned and both squad dies were welcomed back into the British Army and one was promoted on his return. Rough justice

[omagh_gael]

Why should they get twitchy. I maybe slightly wrong in terms of numbers but I thought there were only ever two British soldiers ever imprisoned and both squad dies were welcomed back into the British Army and one was promoted on his return. Rough justice

They should be twitchy because of 39 HET referrals back to the PSNI none were for killings by members of the state forces. With the review findings clearly showing that these cases were inappropriately reinvestigated then there is a greater likelihood that some of the cases may result in prosecution. I won't hold my breath though.

[T Fearon]

It looks like the Historical Enquiries Team will soon be History itself.