As amnesty looms, detectives close in on IRA killers with new DNA lead

A fresh investigation in the IRA abduction and murder of farmer Tom Oliver has uncovered new DNA evidence, which investigators hope will lead to a prosecution.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Jul 2021, 00:01 BST
Jon Boutcher (left) walks with Eugene Oliver, as they make a fresh appeal for information relating to the murder of his father, Tom OliverJon Boutcher (left) walks with Eugene Oliver, as they make a fresh appeal for information relating to the murder of his father, Tom Oliver
Jon Boutcher (left) walks with Eugene Oliver, as they make a fresh appeal for information relating to the murder of his father, Tom Oliver

Mr Oliver, an innocent farmer from the Cooley Peninsula in Co Louth, was abducted and shot by the IRA in July 1991.

The body of the father-of-seven was dumped across the border in Co Armagh.

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His son Eugene, at the age of 13, went looking for his father after he failed to return from calving a cow and discovered his car in a field with the keys in the ignition.

Jon Boutcher, the former chief constable of Bedfordshire who heads Operation Kenova, is investigating a number of unsolved murders in Northern Ireland.

Speaking at the spot where Mr Oliver’s car was found, the former police chief said they have recovered new DNA evidence that he hopes will “significantly assist” their investigation.

The team has been investigating the murder of Mr Oliver since April 2019.

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“In that time, working with the Garda, we’ve taken a significant number of new statements, and I’m pleased to say, using the techniques available to us today, we’ve recovered new DNA evidence that I am hoping will significantly assist us and this incredibly brave family in understanding what happened to Thomas that day,” Mr Boucher said.

“I’ve got a couple of requests that I want to make today.

“Firstly, when Thomas was taken, a vehicle, a grey Ford, was seen at around about 7.40 that evening near Belleeks.

“We believe that vehicle deposited Tom’s body. A female called the information line for the police, and explained what she saw. We desperately want that lady to contact us.

“I also know that people in this community who live around here know what happened to Thomas that day. They know who was involved. And I need them to come and talk to us.

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“At the time, and I understand this, and the family understand this, they would have felt that they weren’t able to come forward, that it wasn’t safe to come forward.

“I want to reassure them that they can now come forward.

“It is certainly safe to come forward and it would be right to come forward.

“I will deal with any information that they have with the utmost confidentiality and care.”

Mr Oliver’s car, a blue Mark 4 Cortina, was recovered by the Garda but later went missing. Mr Boucher said he wants to know what happened to the car:“If you are local, are a garage, you would have known almost certainly because of this community spirit, Tom Oliver’s car, and if you know what happened to that Cortina please also let me know...This is potentially the last chance for this family.”

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Mr Boucher said: “We all know with legacy cases, and I accept and when I began these investigations, I knew that prosecutions would be the exception, they would be rare.

“But that doesn’t mean that you do not investigate these cases with potential prosecutions in mind.

“These families have got a right, morally and legally, and we have a responsibility to give them the hope that if we do get sufficient evidence to achieve the threshold of beyond all reasonable doubt required for prosecution.

“They have got the right to expect us to do that.”