Woman seeking compensation for husband's murder

The family of a post officer engineer who was murdered in July 1978 has begun a campaign for compensation

The family of a post officer engineer who was murdered in July 1978 has begun a campaign for compensation. Noel McKay (29) was shot 10 times outside his Dunmurry home and died in the arms of his pregnant wife, Christine.

The McKays still have no idea who shot him or why. No paramilitary group has admitted responsibility and no one has ever been charged.

The IRA denied involvement and reports at the time suggested the murder may have been one of mistaken identity.

Ms McKay later received compensation in respect of her dead husband's earnings, but did not know to claim for her own injury, loss of income or for her son's loss of parental care.

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Ms McKay, who still suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, has worked for various victims' support groups since the murder. She feels that her case illustrates the plight of other victims' relatives. Ms McKay was involved in a road accident in 1990 and was told by her solicitor that she should have claimed further compensation for her husband's murder. However, the Northern Ireland Office said her claim was too late and was "statute barred".

Her daughter-in-law Dawn McKay says it is accepted by the NIO that she was entitled to compensation which was never paid.

She is now calling for all victims of the Troubles to have once-and-for-all settlements paid to them and for prime minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to back her call.

Last year the newly-established Historical Enquiries Team (HET) reopened investigations into the 3,268 unsolved killings committed between 1968 and Good Friday 1998. The HET's work will take up to seven years and is supported by £30 million (€43.5 million). However, Dawn McKay says the official response is under-resourced. "How are C8 (the HET's detective group) expected to resolve 3,000 cases with £30 million?" she asked.