Member's statement: Kingsmills Massacre: Police Ombudsman's Report
Member's statement by Ms Joanne Bunting on .
- MLA
- Ms Joanne Bunting
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 18 February 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Kingsmills Massacre: Police Ombudsman's Report
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4806121
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Once again, I will speak about the Kingsmills massacre, one of the most blatantly sectarian murders of the Troubles, in which 11 Protestant workmen were lined up against their van and mercilessly shot by the Provisional IRA in a military-style execution. There was a sole survivor. Members have heard me previously describe, in much greater detail from the inquest notes, the full horrors of that cold, dark night, when young men, still in their teens, cried out for the comfort of their mothers' arms in their final moments, and where the groans of pain rang out into the night from the injured workmen before the gunmen callously walked through their bodies, which were strewn on the ground, to, in their words, "finish them off". Alan Black, through the pain of a body riddled with bullets, kept silent and pretended to be dead. That is what saved him from a final, fatal gunshot. Members will also know that I work on behalf of Mr Black and the family of John McConville as they seek truth and justice, and that is my privilege. They may also remember that there is an ongoing campaign for the release of the Police Ombudsman's report into the investigation. I say "ongoing" because that investigation has been continuing for some 13 years, yet there is still no report forthcoming. Some of that time is understandable, as the coronial inquest was under way for 10 years, but there was nothing to preclude the ombudsman's investigator from continuing their work in parallel over that period. Although the Office of the Police Ombudsman previously advised the families that the report was finished, that was retracted. The coroner told the families that they would receive the report on the conclusion of the inquest last April, but here we are, yet another month on — some 10 months in total — and no report, no timeline for its publication other than "in due course" and nothing but a flimsy assurance from the Police Ombudsman that her office is not seeking to run down the clock and that Kingsmills remains a priority. Right? Talk is cheap. It is action that counts, yet another month has passed with nothing. I assure the families and the Office of the Police Ombudsman that I will keep airing the issue and exposing the ticking clock, which we are told is not being run down to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery, because I believe that, for those families, 49 years of waiting is frankly ridiculous. It should be an utter embarrassment to our system and those engaged in it that those people have been toyed with. "The report is ready." "Oh, no, sorry, it is not." "You will get it after the inquest." The inquest ends: nothing. "When will it come?". "In due course.". "We are not running down the clock", and yet, everything points to the fact that they actually are. When will it come? We are now at 10 months of obfuscation and deflection over a simple question: "When will you publish?". There is no answer, no timeline, no information and no report. This has become a disgraceful charade, and as they delay and the pressure builds, they should know that, as time passes, the expectation on them for a report to be of value, depth and insight increases. It is a sad day when the victims have to fight for a report and use their funeral money to pay for legal action to try to obtain the report to which they are entitled — not once, but twice so far. Those involved should hang their heads in shame at this despicable treatment of innocent victims and know that I will not rest until Mr Black has that report in his hands and his questions are answered.
Once again, I remind the House that 10 months have passed since the inquest, and I urge the ombudsman's office to release the report immediately.
659 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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