Debate contribution: Kingsmills Massacre: Police Ombudsman’s Report

Debate contribution by Mr Trevor Clarke on 4 November 2024.

MLA

Mr Trevor Clarke

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

4 November 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Kingsmills Massacre: Police Ombudsman’s Report

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4626094

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank all those who have participated in the debate. It is heartening to find that we have universal support for the motion. I want to comment on and try to paraphrase what some Members have said. I will start with my colleague from North Antrim Mr Gaston. He criticised the wording of the motion. Of course, if Mr Gaston had been in his place, he would have heard my party colleague the Member for East Belfast Joanne Bunting being very clear in citing who the perpetrators were. She spent hours sitting through the inquest listening to who the perpetrators were — that was very clear from the inquest. My colleague has put on record today the actions of the IRA. The weapons that were traced back to the IRA and the other atrocities that they were used for were also cited at the inquest. I want to put the record straight on my party colleague's comments. Of course, I agree with Mr Gaston that all the murders, whether they were loyalist or republican murders, were equally wrong. Like him, I can say that those murders were wrong. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how others can say what they have said about that, and not so very long ago. I also agree with his comments about the actions of Mr McElduff. It seems strange for me to stand here and agree with Gerry Carroll. It must be the start of a trend, because it is, I think, the second time today that our party has agreed with Mr Carroll or he has agreed with us. What he said about all sectarian murders being wrong is fair. Most of us in the Chamber would agree with that, and I appreciate his comments. He is also right that all the people who were murdered deserve justice. That is key for us. It is key for Mr Black. It is key for the McConville family. It is key for all innocent victims of violence. Justin McNulty talked about the "bloodbath" at Kingsmills and about other crimes in south Armagh. None of those crimes was justified. Of course, we all agree with Mr McNulty's comments on that. It was the same theme from Members, time and time again. Nuala McAllister talked about the sectarian nature of the Kingsmills attack and, indeed, other attacks. We are not trying to distance ourselves from those: they were all wrong. She also talked about our dark past and how the victims, including Mr Black and his colleagues' families, require support. We can all agree with that. Robbie Butler talked about the "dark days" and reminded us that this event was one of the worst of its time. That is so true. He talked about the failures of the Irish Government. Again, certainly, on these Benches, no one will disagree with those comments. It is clear to us who sat at the inquest that day that there were failings from the Irish Government. There were also failings from our Government. Those things need to be addressed. There are unanswered questions. I appreciate Linda Dillon's comments about people being entitled to the truth. Everyone is entitled to the truth. Of course, I could say that people in the organisation that her party is connected to have held back on the truth. The sooner that those people come to the table and give up the truth, instead of hiding behind some other code, the better. Linda went on to talk about historical investigations and how some of those are still outstanding. None of those investigations should be held back. All these people, regardless of where they are from, deserve truth and honesty. I commend my party colleague for proposing the motion. Listening to the way in which Joanne relived the event today, you nearly felt as if you were standing there at the time. In April this year, I attended an inquest for the second time. The first was many years ago, and I never thought I would find myself at another. I sat there for hours with my party colleagues Joanne Bunting, William Irwin and Jonathan Buckley. I would not wish it on anyone. It was horrid, as an outsider, to sit through that, hearing about the harrowing events and what those people went through that night. I came away from my second attendance at an inquest with a clear view that our Government know more than they have said. Maybe that is why the ombudsman is slow in coming forward. The protection, the missed opportunities, the witnesses who were not allowed to be interviewed because of Special Branch: all those things were read into the record that day. It was scary, to be honest. I came out of it that day and thought, "Déjà vu: I have heard this all before". It was about the protection and — I think it was Gerry Carroll who talked about it — state agents. That is 100% right. State agents were involved, state agents were protected, and our British Government and the Irish Government are guilty of both those things. Joanne and I met Mr Black in his home a few weeks ago, with his solicitor. His solicitor recounted Mr Black's failing health — Mr Butler talked about Mr Black coming here a few weeks ago — and anybody could see that, as he stood in the Great Hall, at 81 years of age, on a rollator, on oxygen. Mr Black was not expected to survive his most recent time in hospital this year. He told his son and the rest of his family that he wants them to continue to fight. Members, I tell you now that we gave him an assurance on behalf of our party from the four colleagues who met him at the inquest and the two of us who met him in his home that day that, if the report is not on the table before he passes, we will continue that fight for him. He deserves answers; the McConville family deserves answers; all the other people who are innocent victims of any other crime deserve answers; and we will continue to fight and get justice for them. The ombudsman's report that has been referenced today was started in 2013. Reference has been made to 2020, and, indeed, Mr Black was told more recently — this year — that he would have the report. We got a lesson on our ages from Nuala today. I might be slightly older than Nuala, but I was a very young boy 48 years ago. I think of all the atrocities in Northern Ireland through the years as I was growing up and of successive Secretaries of State, successive senior police officers and successive senior politicians going in front of the media to talk about what they would do to bring justice and find the perpetrators. I am not sure who was Secretary of State or who the senior policeman was 48 years ago, but I would love to meet them today and say, "Forty-eight years later, sir, where are the truth and justice for Mr Black, the McConvilles and all the other innocent victims in that van?". Why is our current Secretary of State not pushing the ombudsman to release the report to give Mr Black, in the time that he has left — I hope it is long, but it could be short — the answers that he deserves? I recall sitting in his house that day. His living room and the space between his chair and his mantelpiece are not big. There is a picture on his mantelpiece of him and a cross. The cross is at Kingsmills. As someone said today, he gets up and thinks about those men every day. It is like a 48-year continuing attack on Mr Black. As the only survivor, he lives it every day. He sits in his chair, from where he can nearly reach his mantelpiece, and the picture sits there as a constant reminder to Mr Black. I think that it was his son who talked to him about taking the picture away. He said, "No. I owe it to those men" — his colleagues. That is the life that that man has lived. Many people have been traumatised by the events in their life. Many people get the opportunity to overcome and heal from such events, but the Government have continued to make Mr Black suffer to this very day, because he has not got the answers. Until the ombudsman gives those answers, his healing cannot start. The day that he was here, there were also families: young people who had not been born who lost relatives and never got to meet them. The problem is passed down in generations, and, until we are able to help the whole family, no healing will take place. I thank Members for taking part, and I am pleased to hear that we have universal support. I hope that the ombudsman's office is listening today, that it has a heart — I doubt it, but I hope that it does — and that it releases the report soon.

1,529 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:30 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification