Evidence clears Robert Nairac of murders he has been linked to: author

Alistair Kerr, 64, a retired diplomat from Lincolnshire, was partly inspired to write his book because he attended a lecture by Capt Nairac in 1973 while considering joining the forces.

His book, Betrayal: The Murder of Robert Nairac, was published two years ago but is just about to be republished with updated information.

Six men have been convicted in relation to the IRA murder at Ravensdale in Co Louth – which took place 40 years ago yesterday – but efforts to recover his body continue.

In Saturday’s News Letter Geoff Knupfer, lead investigator with the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR), said the main obstacle to cooperation in recovering Capt Nairac’s remains are rumours that he had been a member of the SAS involved in a string of murders and bombings.

But in his book Mr Kerr collates copious documentary evidence which he said proves the officer was not in the country during the crimes – nor in the planning phases.

• May 17 1974: The Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Nairac had been on a training course in England with other undercover soldiers and was being trained intensively for months beforehand in England.

• January 5 1975: The murder of senior IRA man John Francis Green: Nairac was on temporary duty in Londonderry on a secret mission; three people have given him an alibi.

• July 31 1975: The Miami Showband massacre: Nairac started out at 4am driving from London to Scotland for a fishing holiday. In the run-up to the trip he had been preparing for an important exercise on August 14.

• January 5 1976: The Kingsmills massacre: On January 4-5 Nairac was in Surrey frantically busy with final preparations for his battalion’s deployment to Kenya.

• April 15 1976: The murder of senior IRA man Peter Cleary: Nairac was attending the Junior Command and Staff Course at the Staff College in England.

Allegations also miss the fact that Nairac was very religious, Kerr said, with “a straight-arrow Catholic conscience” as described by Luke Jennings, who had been closely mentored by him.

In 1973 Nairac was being referred to internally as “one of the Army’s greatest experts on Ireland” and by 1976 he was seen as “the answer to the south Armagh PIRA”; senior army officers “seemed to be in awe of him”.

It would make no sense, Mr Kerr said, to use such a valued officer to supposedly commit such crimes, instead of using more junior soldiers.

“I have yet to see any convincing evidence that Nairac knew any of the Glenanne Gang,” he said of alleged links between the officer and loyalists. However, it “cannot be quite ruled out” given that he had extensive contacts, even among republicans.

But overall, he concurs with the report by senior southern Justice Henry Barron, which examined the Dublin-Monaghan bombings and Nairac; it found no conclusive proof of collusion.

Meanwhile, the survivor of the 1976 Kingsmills massacre believes the authorities have attempted to have him implicate Capt Robert Nairac in the atrocity – something he has always chosen not to do.

The IRA killed 10 Protestant workmen at Kingsmills in south Armagh in 1976. Sole survivor Alan Black said that the man giving orders had an English accent.

“Over the years I have felt that the authorities were trying to take us down that road to Nairac,” Mr Black told the News Letter.

“Good enough I have not said that before; that the authorities were trying to blame all on Nairac and then it would come to a dead end and that would be it.”

He discounts Nairac’s involvement because the man barking orders was “squat and very well built” but in photographs Nairac was “more of an athlete”.

Steve Travers of the Miami Showband survived a loyalist attack which saw three of his colleagues killed in 1975. He noted that a man he believes to be an army officer with a clear English accent gave orders to the gunmen.

However, he said he could never be certain whether or not it was Capt Nairac.

“My distinct impression was that the officer I saw and heard had fair hair,” he said, in contrast to Nairac’s distinctly dark hair.

He said the RTE documentary on Nairac on May 2 did not test evidence on Nairac broadcast by Yorkshire Television in 1993. He is part of a civil action alleging collusion in the attack on his band.

However a group representing victims of loyalist attacks says it is “unable to prove or disprove” allegations about Nairac.

The comments came from victims’ group Justice For The Forgotten, which is affiliated with the Pat Finucane Centre and represents victims of loyalist bombings in the south and the Miami Showband murders.

“There have been many allegations about Robert Nairac’s activities made by a number of whistle-blowers and others,” secretary Margaret Urwin told the News Letter. “We are not in a position to prove or disprove these allegations.”

She said Nairac served undercover with the Four Field Survey Troop, part of the Special Reconnaissance Unit, in 1974-75 and finally as liaison officer between the SAS and RUC Special Branch, when he had full knowledge of all informants and sources in the south Armagh area and a full knowledge of all operations by SAS and other covert groups.

With regard to the May 2 RTE Prime Time programme which challenged murder claims against him, she said that just because British Army sources told RTE that Nairac was out of the country when certain murders took place “does not mean it is true”.

“Notwithstanding the many unanswered questions about him, Robert Nairac’s body should be returned to his family for burial and the Pat Finucane Centre/Justice for the Forgotten would urge those with information to contact the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains.”