'˜Case is a testament to bravery of victims'

Upper Bann MLA John O’Dowd said: “I welcome the judgement by Justice Seamus Treacy in Belfast that the PSNI had failed to conduct a thorough investigation of wholesale British state collusion with the notorious loyalist Glenanne gang. The ruling is a testimony to the bravery and tenacity of the victims families.

“The Glenanne Gang and its successors were responsible for dozens of sectarian murders across Upper Bann. They have left a trail of despair and agony which has only been compounded by the failure of the state to properly investigate the activities of the gang and those behind it.

“The judgement confirms what families and others have known for decades that there was collusion between the British state and the loyalist murder gang which was made up of serving RUC, UDR, British army personnel and loyalists

“Families who sought and campaigned for justice for their loved ones were labelled as troublemakers and faced harassment and threats from the very same forces which killed their loved ones.“

In conclusion Mr O’ Dowd said the British state’s refusal ‘to take responsibility for its actions is unacceptable and adds to the pain and suffering of the victims’.