Deadly Liaisons Spotlight

This programme contains strong This programme contains strong

language.. The end of a loyalist supergrass trial that cost the

taxpayer millions of pounds. Nine men acquitted of murder, after the

testimony of two state witness, the Stewart brothers was found to be

infected with lies. It would have been obvious to anyone. What is

being done to investigate those alleged to have colluded with

killers. The UVF trial that ended in the acquittals was the result of

a ground breaking report by the As a consequence, the position of

the UVF, particularly in what Belfast was consolidated and

Most significantly, the Ombudsman believes the gang was riddled with

police informers. Nuala O'Lone recommended that two investigations

be carried out as a matter of Tonight we can reveal five years on

the investigation into allegations of police collusion appears to be

going nowhere. We hear about deep concerns of what are seen as

failure to follow through on recommendation to pursue those

suspected of colluding in murder. don't quite understand why, no

action was taken, because there is a statutory duty. My belief is the

current ombudsman is under the same obligations I was and this should

have been investigated. If you have police officers who were handlers,

that needs to be dealt with as matter of priority. It really needs

to be dealt with as matter of priority. Particularly where the

crimes are murder. The ombudsman says all will be investigated and

it complies with its statutory duty. How high did the alleged collusion

with murder go? And what else do the Supergrasss have to reveal? It

is not just about the UVF. These people may well been the puppets on

the end of strings. Who dropped the practices and policies of that

Hallowe'en night 2000. Traditionally, a family time.

Newtonabbey Tommy English and his wife were at home with their three

young children. Tommy was a one time UDA boss in North Belfast who

had become involved in the peace process. He was a prominent member

of the UDP. Just after tea time, Tommy and his wife Doreen were

watching television in the living room. Their children, aged ten and

under, were playing upstairs. Hearing a noise dar reen -- Doreen

opened the back door to find men puts on masks, ready to sledge

hammer their way into her house. They were pushing me and slapping

me about with guns to get out of the road, and chaos, really. The

biggest guy, he aimed the gun again, and I went for his face, just for

his eye, to try and stop him, seeing what he was doing. And after

that, I was hit in the head and the face with a gun, and punched a few

times. Tommy was shot in the back, as he tried to run upstairs.

Towards his children. He stopped and stared. All of a sudden, two

men came to the bottom of the stairs. It was really just, bangs,

you were hearing bang, and sort of blinking with the shock of the bang.

And my dad started to fall backwards down the stairs. He

landed in the hallway. They beat my mum so bad she was literally blood

smeared all over her face, her clothes. We actually thought it was

my dad's blood. The gunmen left and Mark's young sister ran into the

street. I ran out the door, screaming for help, in bare feet,

and I got to the neighbours and bashed their window, screaming for

help, saying "Something's happened to my daddy, I neat help." They

told me to go away, but I think they thought it was a Hallowe'en

prank, and so I just kept running. And screaming. Mince later, two of

the gunmen came back. They checked Thomas, and I lifted the phone, and

I could hear what sounded to be the biggest one shouting "Get back here

and finish the bastard off." Three times he shouted that and I was

phoning for an ambulance, and then I started veeming "Please leave him

alone. Don't shoot him again." And the smaller one shot him again.

Mark and his twin brother Thomas junior pictured here as toddlers

were beside their father, as he lay dying at the bottom of the stairs.

We were terrified. Really terrified. We couldn't stop screaming. We sort

of sat, stood for a while, and, in shock, we couldn't move. We were

screaming, it was absolutely horrendous. Horrifying. For a child

of that age, to watch their own parent die. Soon after the murder,

police contacted Doreen with news of a potential lead. A man had been

caught on CCTV, buying the sledge hammer which had been used in the

attack. But Doreen English was about to get a terrible shock.

brought me in, and asked me if I could be, if I would look at the

photograph to see if I knew the person in that, and it was

horrendous. I just couldn't believe my eyes. The man she was looking at

in the footage, is her brother, Neil Pollock. It was one of the

worst things I've ever had to do, was to say that's my brother. You

know. It was just heart wrenching. Doreen helped to raise her young

brother seen here as a page boy to her marriage to Tommy. Neil would

join the couple on family holidays. Every day at the trial, Doreen

faced her brother in the dock. He was found guilty of possessing an

item intended for terrorism and of intent to pervert the course of

justice. But Doreen believes he knows a lot more about her

husband's death. What would you say to your brother, Neil, today,

because he could help put your husband's murderers away. Well, I

would just say "Neil my daddy brought you up with more morals,

and I am just dumbfounded that you haven't had the decency in you to

do the right thing, and I know it's a hard thing to do, to tell the

truth, when there's so many people out there that's wanting to harm

you, but I don't know how you will live with yourself if you don't do

the right thing and tell what you know." At the time of the murder

police said that the death was part of a bloody UDA, yuvyuv feud but

Doreen says there may have been deeply personal motives for the

selection of her husband as a target. Asked by police if she knew

of anyone who wanted to do her husband harm she named two men. One

was this man, Mark Haddock who has just been acquitted of the murder.

Haddock and Thomas never seen eye to eye, the similar reason Thomas

was in the UDA, he was in the UVF. They had a lot of run ins and it

was more like a macho thing. Thomas wouldn't back down to him. They

just hated each other. And the other was this man, John Bond, who

was also acquitted. Doreen's brother-in-law who was married to

her sister Christine. Christine Bond had an affair with Tommy

English. They lived together for about four months. She had left

John for Thomas and Thomas left her and she ended up with John. Apart

from her brother the only two people who have been convicted of

involvement in the murder of Tommy English are the Stewart brother,

Robert and Ian who in August 2009 became assisting offenders. Doreen

English says police told her that the brothers handed themselves in,

just weeks after coming upon the scene of a motorbike accident, in

which her son Thomas junior was killed. The boy, who was beside his

father as he lay dying. According to police, the incident had a

profound effect on the Stewarts. Who later confessed their role in

the murder and implicated 14 other loyalists in up to 30 offences.

They said that they had been having a hard time dealing with their part

in Thomas's murder. And that our son died in a wee motorbike

accident, and they said that they passed the scene that night that he

-- died, and saw him, and after that, they went to England for a

couple of weeks, and then basically couldn't live with themselves, it

was like the last straw for them. That broke their back, so they

The only good thing they came out of her brother's death, was the

impact that seemed to have had on the stewards. You are always asking

why. I went to myself, this is why he has died, to give us just us.

That is Thomas's reason. I always thought, this is just this for us,

he has died for just this. I also said to myself, it does show that

the brothers to have remorse. there can be little doubt that the

stewards decision was also influenced by the fact that they

got 15 years of their sentence for murder. In his judgment, the judge

described the Stewart Brothers as a ruthless criminals whose evidence

was full of lies Anne's the memory was affected by many years of drug

abuse. The judge said that these were obviously the same men wearing

new suits. Robert Stewart also admitted it Fenty had had sex with

a series of under-aged children. Revelations about the brothers

raised a number of hard questions at for the prosecution service and

the police, given that the case cost �15 million. How good the

Public Prosecution Service had been the brothers to be credible

witnesses, given the lack of any credible supporting evidence? The

director of the PPS it recently told the BBC that he was satisfied

there was a case to answer. There is a basis for being extremely

careful in the way of the evidence in a case such as this and. I am

satisfied that there was a very careful consideration of the

material in this case. The police spent two years assessing the

Stewart Brothers, but stressed that the deal was a matter for the PDS.

While the murder of Tommy English was one of a number of killings

investigated by the former Police Ombudsman NEWLINE alone, the report

itself had been triggered by the father of a murder victim. Raymond

mid-court had bought a complaint to her office in 2003. He believed

that his son had been murdered by members of the UVF gang and that

the police investigation had been hampered because the killers were

Special Branch informers. In the course of the investigation, at

Nuala O'Lone looked again at up to 15 murders which she suspected have

not been properly investigated by police because at least four of the

chief suspects were Special Branch Agents, actively involved in the

UVF murder operations. Of the four police agents mentioned, informant

one is now widely believed to be this man, Mark Haddock. He was one

of the two men whose names of Doreen English says she gave to

police and the night of her husband's murder. He was actually

arrested for questioning shortly after Thomas was murdered and he

was found to have documents in his car with Thomas's name, address,

registration and make of car. O'Lone's report confirmed that

there was intelligence linking Mark Haddock and three of his associates

to the killing of Tommy English. They were arrested a week later for

provided alibis for each other and were released without charge. I

first investigated Mark Haddock in 2006. At that stage I was unable to

name him for legal reasons, but I spoke to the man who first

recruited him as a CID informer. Speaking publicly for the first

time Trevor Mackle wrath told me that alarm bells began ringing

after his agent was recruited by Special Branch in 1991. Be heard

reports that Mark Haddock have been arrested as the driver in a

suspected murder, only to be released cater without charge.

could not be seen to be the only one that got away. The gunman was

caught, he was the driver, so he was called, too. He spent six or

nine months on demand, then one day the charges were withdrawn. Or

dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions. But from the moment

he got into the murder car he was never going to be prosecuted for

that murder bid. No. They go so was an informer? Correct. It in 2006

Michael wrath was adamant that he had alerted his superiors did the

fact that an agent was out of control, but he was repeatedly

ignored. How high up to disco on? Senior ranking policeman would have

known? Yes. He in the 1990s most of the victims of the UVF were

loyalists. But some of the attacks on local nationalists were purely

sectarian, including to one Mark Haddock and his gang are alleged to

have carried out on this man, whose case was also re-examined. In March

1992 John Flynn worked for a Catholic taxi firm near Mount

Vernon. One evening he was called to wait at the hospital were a

gunman was lying in wait. I went down towards five, head the horn.

Nobody was about. Two minutes later somebody appeared out of the

darkness. With a grey hooded top. He pulled a weapon. It didn't go

off, so I ran and he ran after me. I fell and he stood over me. The

weapon did not work again, you know? I don't know where I got the

string from, but I grabbed him and the weapon. I knew once I got my

hands on its that I had a chance, you know? He would not let go of it

and either we dive. I lifted him clean off the ground. Through the

window. In the doctor's surgery. Was the attacker wearing a mask?

Know. What did he look like? I give a Photofit at the police station.

He had short dark hair, skin Head tide. Moustache. Well built. Tattoo.

Where was the tattoo? On his arm. The description resembled some of

the details of the appearance of Mark Haddock. Intelligence sources

at the time pointed to the Mark Haddock. Agents after that told us

that Mark Haddock had done that. John Flynn says he believes the

attacker's prints were on the gun that was left that the scene and

possibly his blood on his clothes. In 1997 the UVF tried to kill him

again by printing a bomb under his car. The two days later I got a

mass card through the post. It said on it, third time lucky. UVF,

Tiger's Bay. Nuala O'Lone concluded that the collusion was systemic.

She found evidence that police had withheld information about agents

suspected of murder and subjected informants to sham interviews

before releasing them without charge. She also found that Special

Branch had routinely destroyed a evidence linking agents to crimes.

Nuala O'Lone was convinced that this was a deliberate strategy and

that junior officers could not have operated as they did without what

she called knowledge and support at the highest levels of the RUC, PSNI.

It was very, very shocking and remains shocking. Where we had

found clear evidence of collusion, were we have found clear evidence

that crimes which had been admitted to, of which police were aware, had

not been prosecuted. Crimes which clearly required proper

investigation and had not been investigated. Nuala O'Lone was so

shocked by the potential scale of the collusion that she recommended

that not only should the killers be investigated properly, but also

allegations that handlers and their superiors had been involved in

murder, but so far not a single charge has resulted from the second

investigation. So, why has one of the investigations fallen so far

behind the other? In 2007 the Historical Enquiries Team was asked

to implement the recommendations of the ballast report. The lawyer who

acts on behalf of some of the victims says that his impression

was that the Historical Enquiries Team was making good progress.

were getting good teeth into this case, as I understand it, and were

examining all aspects, including the investigation of handlers.

2009 the investigation into loyalist killings was transferred

to the police's Serious Crime Branch. The police said this was

the most appropriate mechanism to take the work forward and the

investigation of the police handlers and controllers was

transferred to the ombudsman's office. But three years later there

appears to have been little movement. We understand that as

recently as last month there were just two officers are signed to the

investigation of handlers and controllers are suspected of

involvement in serious crimes, including murder. A situation which

we understand the Ombudsman has attributed to a serious lack of

resources. Nuala O'Lone says that if that is the case, it is just not

good enough. I tell you something, it is possible to do this with

maybe a dozen members of staff. Certainly, the number of

investigators that the Police Ombudsman has, and with the number

of investigators whom I had working on historical cases, we managed to

do it. He if you were still the ombudsman, with the investigation

of handlers and their controllers be your priority? I would have

carried on from where I left off. As the evidence began to come

through from the police investigations, I would have been

proceeding with my investigations. We as the Ombudsman to confirm how

many staff had been assigned to this investigation since 2009 and

how much funding had been requested for this aspect of its

investigation? Has anyone been Some of the families of the victims

are also deeply troubled by the fact that they had thought that

both investigations into the alleged killers and the police

handlers were being supervised by a specially established oversight

panel consisting of Nuala O'Lone and a leading barrister, Richard

Harvey. In reality, the panel is only looking at the investigation

into loyalists. One of the concerns which Richard Hardy and I have is

that if the Police Ombudsman is in doing their handler and controllers

stuff, they are not investigating that, but the police are

investigating murders. It is not impossible that you might end up

with somebody charged in court to turns round in court and says,

actually, my handler told me I could do this. Then there would be

serious problems. It is important that the Police Ombudsman is

working as fast as the police. of those who criticised the speed

of the investigation into handlers believes that the failure of the

reasons Supergrass trial may have been a deliberate attempt to

frustrate justice. People other than Special Branch handlers and

controllers have been used this scapegoats to promote in a

disproportionate way and downsize the key sensitive investigation

then needs to take place, and that is a full-scale criminal

investigation against the Special Branch handlers and controllers.

That has not happened. Instead there has been a diversion and the

focus of money and resources, millions of pounds, to promote what

a month you could be perceived as a showcase supergrass trial to the

exclusion of the other core component of Operation Ballast.

is a view shared by the Committee on the administration of justice.

It is a mystery to us sitting on the outside why no other

prosecutions have taken place prior to this. In relation to the matters

that were uncovered in the ballast report that would have used other

types of evidence that might have been more effective why do you

think? Whether it's to prevent embarrassment or cover up the

misconduct of police officers. But that is the case it is unacceptable.

No one is above the law. There is now growing specification that's

the forthcoming Gary Haggarty trial that will finally bring the police

handlers and their agents to ahead. Haggarty turned Supergrass after he

was charged with the murder of John Harman's son in 1997. The dried

fruit -- the body of a taxi driver was found in Mount Vernon. He had

been beaten beyond recognition. His co-accused in their case is Mark

Haddock. So, given the acquittals in the recent supergrass case, does

the UVF have much to fear from the forthcoming Hegarty trial? They

might say, look at the Stuart case, look at how it ended. Will the

Hegarty case be any different? we got anything more to fear?

spoke to a senior loyalist, someone who would know Hegarty very well

and he said compare to the Stewarts, Hegarty would be A* witness. A

memory as sharp as a razor. Someone referred to as Mr gadget. He walked

about with all sorts of gadgetry and recording equipment. What the

loyalist leadership fears is that he may have recorded some of their

meetings. Gary Hegarty reaches of the on the UPF. It is level of the

organisation he would have sat at meetings of the military command,

so do they fear him more than the Stewart Brothers? They did fear his

information, his credibility, his status more. Loyalist spokes people

such as Ken Watkinson warned of dire consequences if the assisting

offenders system is used to prosecute senior UVF figures.

People have to look at what they are bringing down an art community.

I stress quite clearly now that if they continue with these they are

going to destabilise loyalist communities. When you say

destabilise, what do you mean? people who are there within

loyalism, of within the section of loyalism that I deal with have been

there for the last 30 years working at that to bring down a peaceful

roads, and they have achieved that. Why take people back? Out take

these people out of our society, the stabilisers? Why leave the

young hawks are there? In a way, that is a threat. So, should be not

go after the UVF because it might destabilise that leadership? Or are

we not going after that UVF leadership because the real story

is were dead UVF leadership takes you to? It takes you to see people

and to see places and those people in those places are not meant to be

seen. One pointer as to how this might happen can be seen him walk

Ken Watkinson says is his attitude to the naming of police handlers

and their superiors. We all want to know. We want to know who the

handlers are. These people are damaging our society, my community.

I think it goes right to the very top of government. I think they

have to look at themselves. Sometimes these people might have

to look in the mirror instead of continually pointing the finger --

pointing the finger against us. Last week Gary Haggarty lost... he

gave police as an assisting an offender over two years of

intensive debriefing so. The court heard that on those tapes he has

made allegations of criminality by him and by others including police

officers. The Haggarty case offers a significant opportunity to

advance the investigation of police handlers, according to Nuala O'Lone.

There is currently another assisting offenders like the

Stewart Brothers being interviewed. The Police Ombudsman is Billy aware

of what is happening in that. Any material which has been given by

that person which relates to police officer misconduct or criminality,

the Police Ombudsman will already have. I guess if I was the Police

Ombudsman that would be being followed up. It seems to me from

what is being said that they have not got to that stage. Last night

In the meantime, John Flynn says he will keep fighting until he gets

justice. He is taking a judicial review against the Police Ombudsman

and the Chief Constable to explain the lack of movement in the current

investigation into alleged collusion. Would you encourage

former Special Branch handlers to co-operate in any future inquiry?

think that people should co-operate as much as possible. I would urge

people in as much as they feel they can themselves to come forward and

Corporate because it is in the interests of all of us to make sure

that the trip comes out and that justice is done. That is the key

point as far as the public is concerned to -- confirmed, that

victims get justice. As to whether or not the role of loyalist and

republican informants and their handlers will ever see the light of

day, opinions are divided. We are meant to live with this notion that

this was a place of warring tribes that had within it an honest

referee. The honest referee became a player in the war. That is why we

talk about the dirty war and its ugly truths. I think that is why

they will always be barriers in the way of a trip process and it is why

we will never have MI5, the Special Branch, the army, the police in the

same room with the IRA and loyalists. Do you think the trip

will ever come out? I think the truth has a way of coming out

eventually, yes. I don't think anyone would have expected there