Clonoe inquest: DUP leader demands answers on suspected IRA accomplices who went to Republic of Ireland and were never convicted
The leader of the DUP is demanding answers from the Irish and UK governments about what happened to men who were suspected of aiding the IRA in a major attack in 1992.
The men are thought to have fled from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland after four of their alleged comrades were killed in the Clonoe ambush.
They were never convicted in connection with the events of that night.
Gavin Robinson is asking why, and wonders if the suspects were among those who received ‘on-the-run letters’.
All this is part of the fallout from the recent inquest ruling on the Clonoe ambush, when the SAS shot dead four IRA men in the small east Tyrone village after they had attacked a police station using a heavy machine gun mounted on a lorry on February 16, 1992.
The main headline arising from the inquest findings was the coroner’s view that the SAS were unjustified in opening fire on the IRA squad.
But the findings also contained a wealth of other information – for example, details about three accomplices who were prosecuted for acting as would-be getaway drivers for the IRA machine gun team.
In the days since the findings were published, the News Letter has been trying to determine what became of a some other men mentioned therein – a duo known only as CC1 and CC2.
It is believed that they too were aiding the IRA machine gun team, but that they successfully fled the ambush in a red Vauxhall Cavalier, albeit after being wounded.
They were both arrested in Co Monaghan a month after the ambush (along with another suspect called CC4, about whom nothing further is known). Gardai observed that both had suffered bullet wounds.
The inquest findings state that a lighter belonging to CC1, with his name engraved on it, was found at the ambush scene in Clonoe – though he told police it was because he had given it to one of the dead IRA men who were there.
CC1 gave evidence to the inquest where he “denied being shot and wounded at the car park and declined to respond to questions relating to the injury sustained to his back… he also refused to account for his movements after the Clonoe shootings and the allegation that he went on the run to live in Monaghan”.
CC2 also gave evidence to the inquest “but declined to answer questions relating to the planning of the attack at Coalisland RUC station or the events that unfolded at Clonoe chapel car park”.
CC2 “refused to answer questions around this or the leg injury which he allegedly sustained as a result of the shots fired by the soldiers” and “also invoked his privilege in respect of the period of time spent on the run”.
The News Letter has established that CC2 and CC1 never were convicted of anything, raising the possibility that this was because they took refuge in the republic.
Also not convicted of anything was the owner of the red Vauxhall Cavalier, known as CC3, who left for Dublin on the night of the ambush.
He had prepared a draft statement to the inquest (which he refused to sign) admitting to being one of the IRA team’s getaway drivers that night.
Now Gavin Robinson has told the News Letter: “I want to know what happened to the suspects who were arrested on March 20, 1992, in the Republic of Ireland. Two of the detainees were still bearing bullet wounds consistent with being at the attack on Coalisland police station.
"The Irish police detained CC1, CC2 and CC4 but I want to know what happened to their investigation. I want to establish if there was an effort made to extradite these three suspects to Northern Ireland or if they continued living across the border on the run.
"We also want to establish if these men were included as part of the on-the-run scheme following a disgraceful deal between the Labour government and Sinn Fein. I will be writing to both the Irish Government and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to establish the facts.
"One of the greatest insults to victims and justice in this case is the fact that IRA men convicted for their part in the attack on Coalisland police station received a three-year suspended sentence and one received a £75k payout for being shot in 2011. This beggars belief.
"I am working with colleagues in Westminster to dig deeper into this incident. The Government needs to stand up for the SAS soldiers who stepped up for their country but have been poorly served by successive governments.”