M1 murder 10 years on: Reward doubled as widow pleads for information on David Black's killers

Yvonne Black is making the appeal today precisely 10 years after dissident republicans raked his car with bullets on the M1 motorway as he headed to work at Maghaberry. His car veered into a ditch and he died at the scene.

Crimestoppers, the confidential hotline for crime tips, has also declared today that there is now a £20,000 reward on offer “for information it receives that leads to the prosecution of those responsible”.

The reward was originally set at £10,000 in 2012.

The PSNI too have issued a renewed appeal for any information that could help pin down the gang responsible.

Mrs Black told Rebecca Black of the Press Association news agency that “loyalties change and we are appealing for information to be given, however small, which could help build the jigsaw”.

She also said that “we have in many ways concealed our own hurt and pain [from] the outside world, but we require the help and support of the broader community in order to give us an opportunity to have some level of peace”.

She added: “David was a good man, he was a wonderful husband and father and he worked extremely hard fulfilling a role as provider.

“When he was murdered, our lives were shattered, everything we had come to know had been taken away from us.

“We mourn him every day and there have been very difficult times down the years as we have tried to come to terms with the new life we’ve all been forced to live.

“I have tried to keep going for our children, Kyle and Kyra, who have also helped lift me up at points when life is challenging for me.

“My husband and our children’s father wasn’t a danger or threat to anyone and he most certainly was no-one’s legitimate target; he was highly respected across the community and indeed by his former colleagues and inmates alike.

“David lived his life by the adage ‘respect breeds respect’ and this is how he conducted his life, personally and professionally within his work as a prison officer.”

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE INVESTIGATION?

Fifty days after the shooting, a suspect named Damien Joseph McLaughlin – then aged 36 and with an address in the Ardboe area of Co Tyrone – had appeared in court charged with preparation of terrorist acts over the incident.

Other offences – belonging to a proscribed organisation, and possession of an article for use in terrorism (namely, the Toyota Camry used in the attack) – were later added to his charge sheet.

McLaughlin had previous form; in 2011 he had pleaded guilty to firearms possession in suspicious circumstances, and to two charges of possessing articles for use in terrorism – namely, two sniper scopes – after police found a hidden stash of rifles, a sawn-off shotgun, silencers, and dum-dum ammunition (also known as expanding bullets).

He could have faced a sentence of 15 years for those crimes.

Instead he got four-and-a-half years – half in custody, half on licence – and was free within months of being jailed, probably due to time spent on remand.

The PSNI has today issued a statement saying that, over the course of the investigation into the Black murder on November 1, 2012, its Serious Crime Branch had made eight arrests, while Gardai had made another four, and that “numerous premises, vehicles and area searches have been conducted... and well over 1,000 statements have been taken”.

However, the one person who was actually charged over the attack – Mr McLaughlin – was allowed to skip bail before his trial, with police doing nothing about it for over a month.

He was meant to report to police five times a week, but stopped doing so on November 18, 2016.

Even then, the PSNI did not tell the PPS he was missing for another eight days.

Mr McLaughlin was eventually caught by Gardai while on-the-run in Donegal. He fought extradition on human rights grounds, but was brought back to Northern Ireland in 2017.

He went on to be acquitted of all charges the following year after a judge ruled some evidence against him inadmissible. He was also not charged over absconding.

All of this means that, to this day, nobody has been brought to book for the daylight murder of a working man on one of the country’s busiest motorways.

Detective Chief Inspector Anthony Kelly has today made a renewed appeal to the communities of both Cookstown and Lurgan to come forward with information.

He said: "Our investigation into David’s murder, is very much active.

"We continue to work tirelessly to bring those responsible before the courts.“Today is a particular difficult day for David’s wife Yvonne and his children; Kyra and Kyle.

"They have endured an unimaginable degree of suffering and loss over the last ten years.“We believe there are members of the communities of Lurgan and Cookstown who have information that will bring those responsible for David’s murder to justice.

"David, who was a loving husband and father, was murdered on his way to work to provide for his family. David’s family deserves closure and although it won’t bring him back, it will help bring those responsible before the courts.

"Time may have passed, but it is not too late to do the right thing for David’s family.”

You can ring detectives on 101, or if you prefer to stay anonymous or are interested in the reward, contact Crimestoppers directly on freephone 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

There is no caller display, no 1471 facility, and IP addresses are not traced.

‘OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM HAS FAILED’:

Kenny Donaldson, spokesman for the Troubles victims’ campaign group SEFF (South East Fermanagh Foundation), lamented the absence of a successful conviction in the case.

He described Mr Black as “a respected, hard-working family man who was contributing as best he could to make this society a better place for all”.

Mr Black was an Orangeman who was perhaps several weeks away from retiring as a prison officer when he was killed.

His family rejected the idea of any Sinn Fein members attending his funeral.

His murder was followed four years later by the fatal bombing of fellow prison officer Adrian Ismay.

Mr Donaldson said of the anniversary of Mr Black’s attack: “The nature of his murder is as chilling now as it was a decade ago. David's life mattered; firstly, to his immediate family inclusive of his wife Yvonne and their children Kyle and Kyra, but also to his parents and the wider family circle.

"He also mattered to his friends and neighbours, to his colleagues within the Prison Service, and indeed there were prisoners who spoke of their respect for David and the basic humanity he had shown to them within the prison.

"It is a matter of huge regret and a failing within our criminal justice system that those responsible for this brutal murder have yet to be held accountable for their actions, and there also exist many within the community who continue to hold information which would strengthen the case against the perpetrators.

"We want to acknowledge the immense dignity with which the Black family have conducted themselves over the last painful decade, they have refused to allow terrorism to be the victor.

"Both Kyle and Kyra progressed with their education and attained degrees and are now contributing to society, just as their daddy had done before them, and for which their mummy continues to fulfil.

"There was no justification for the murder of David Black, just as there was no justification for the murder of his colleagues before him in the 1990s, 1980s and 1970s.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Yvonne, Kyle and Kyra at this time and we pray that God's comfort blanket will surround them and that they will experience His love.”

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