Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

To begin, I second Senator Boylan’s proposal to change the Order of Business.

Two days ago, in a Belfast court, the coroner was forced to halt the inquest into the murder by the LVF, a loyalist murder gang, of Bellaghy man Sean Brown, a family man and leading figure in the local GAA. Sean Brown was abducted and murdered by the anti-agreement loyalist group on 12 May 1997. The coroner did so because the British Government’s intelligence agency, namely, MI5, has refused for over a year to supply the coroner with vital information it has in its possession related to the killing on the dubious grounds of national security. The coroner halted the inquest and is now writing to the British Government, asking for a public inquiry into Mr. Brown’s killing because his court is unable to carry out its duties according to the law. It was revealed in court that a number of British state agents – loyalists - were among the 25 people suspected of being involved in the murder of Mr. Brown. In addition to this, it was stated that MI5 had the loyalist killers under surveillance for some time and did not prevent the killing.One of two intelligence folders relating to the surveillance, which can only be viewed by those vetted and approved by MI5 has 56 pages of information blanked out and unreadable. The investigation of the ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan, into Mr. Brown's killing found significant failures in the investigation. No effort was made to identify those who carried out the murder and the scene of crime investigations were superficial and perfunctory. In addition, her investigation was seriously impeded by the unexplained disappearance of official and secured documents, such as the murder investigation police file and the occurrence book.

The appalling treatment by the British Government through the intelligence agency, MI5, of the Brown family and the justice system comes less than a week after a judge in another Belfast court said the British Government's legacy Bill failed to meet international human rights standards. The Irish Government has correctly, and I commend it, taken the British Government to the European Court of Human Rights over its legacy Bill of shame. This morning, I call on the Irish Government to call in the British ambassador in Dublin to explain the catalogue of incidents involving MI5, the RUC and the LVF in the lead-up to the murder of Sean Brown and the behaviour of the British Government's legal and police representatives in the coroner's court, which has led to the coroner halting the inquest and seeking a public inquiry.