Public inquiry to be held into murders of RUC men

A public inquiry is to be held into the murders by the IRA of two senior RUC officers in 1989.

A public inquiry is to be held into the murders by the IRA of two senior RUC officers in 1989.

The inquiry to be set up in light of the findings of the Cory Report, which was published today. The report was investigating claims of alleged collusion between the IRA and some members of the Garda.

The report, by retired Canadian Judge Peter Cory, recommends the establishment of a public inquiry into the IRA murders of RUC Supt Bob Buchanan and Insp Harry Breen. They died while returning from a meeting with gardaí in Dundalk when they were attacked.

In a separate report also published today, Judge Cory does not recommend such an inquiry into the IRA murders of Lord Justice and Lady Gibson in a car bomb in 1987. They were returning from their holidays when they died in a roadside bomb attack just north of the Border.

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Concerning the deaths of the two RUC men, Judge Cory found there was evidence that, if it were to be accepted, could be found to constitute collusion.

Although Judge Cory said the Provisional IRA did not need any assistance from the Garda to carry out the ambush and murders of the RUC officers, he said the timing of the ambush was so precise that it "might lead to a conclusion that it could have only resulted from information given to [the] PIRA [Provisional IRA] by the gardaí".

He added that a consideration of the relevant factors "might lead to a conclusion that information must have been given to the PIRA by a Garda officer or employees to carry out the killings," but he added  "it could just as readily lead to a conclusion that PIRA neither had nor needed to rely upon collusion by Garda officers or employees to carry out the killings."

Regarding the killings of Lord Justice Gibson, and his wife Lady Gibson, Judge Cory said there was "no evidence of any information being given by the Garda or by any governmental agency to PIRA regarding the movements of the Gibsons."

Announcing the establishment of a public inquiry into the RUC deaths, the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, said "the success or failure of the inquiry which will be held into these horrific murders will, in substantial part, depend on the degree of co-operation . . . from potential witnesses."

Judge Cory has sent four similar reports to the British government concerning killings in Northern Ireland amid allegations of collusion between loyalists and security forces. However, the British government has so far refused to publish those reports.

Judge Cory  investigated the cases of solicitor Pat Finucane, loyalist paramilitary Billy Wright, Portadown solicitor Rosemary Nelson and Catholic man Robert Hamill, who was kicked to death by a loyalist mob while RUC officers allegedly looked on.

Following agreement between the two governments in 2001, Judge Cory was appointed to undertake an investigation of the allegations of collusion.