30/06/2016 BBC Newsline


30/06/2016

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A new investigation is to be launched into the controversial

:00:07.:00:09.

killing of an IRA man by the RUC in Downpatrick 25 years ago.

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An eyewitness has come forward and supported claims

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by the family of Colum Marks, that he was shot

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Our home affairs correspondant Vincent Kearney reports.

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RUC officers were in wait when an IRA unit

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were ordered to carry out an attack in April 19 91.

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One of the IRA members Colum Marks was shot dead.

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The police officer who fired the shot said he believed Colum

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Marks was armed and had refused to stop when an attempt was made to

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arrest him. No gun was ever found.

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His family claimed Colum Marks was shot after being arrested.

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The RUC insisted that was not the case.

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Lawyers for the family have been taking legal action in a bid to

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force the police to investigate the circumstances of the killing.

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They have said they couldn't do so because the RUC had already

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That all changed when an eye witness came

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The eyewitness has said that during the

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shooting, he saw a man believed to be Colum

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Marks walking along the street under police guard.

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He said it was clear the man was under

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arrest and three RUC officers were with him.

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That contradicts police claims that Colum Marks was not under arrest

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when he was shot because it was feared he posed a threat.

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Lawyers for the Marks family haven't disclosed any

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The legal action was finished today now

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The legal action was withdrawn today now

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that it's been decided that an investigation will be launched.

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The decision was welcomed by a lawyer

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This information disputes the previous statements by the RUC.

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An assessment of the case will be carried out to establish

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Two months ago, the Attorney General asked the prosecution

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services to review the decision not to prosecute any

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police officers involved in the incident.

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The Inquiry into Abuse at Institutions has been shown

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an MI6 intelligence document which claimed at least one agent

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was aware of sexual abuse at Kincora Boys Home.

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It's long been at the centre of allegations that a paedophile

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ring, involving high-profile political and military figures,

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Lisa McAlister reports from the Inquiry in Banbridge.

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The document emerged during evidence given via video link

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a by Deputy Director of MI6 which operated here in

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Known as SIS officer A, he was asked about the 1989 note which stated:

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Giving evidence via video link said that despite an extensive trawl of

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MI6's file, the could not find any other evidence to support the 1989

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note. Cheer of the enquiry then asked whether the author of the note

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had some personal knowledge which he hadn't recorded by F, for some

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reason, had the wrong end of the stick. He replied that he couldn't

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speculate as to what the offer was thinking when he wrote it.

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SIS officer A also said the service found no credible evidence

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to support the claims former M16 chief Sir Maurice Oldfield

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The coordinator of security operations in Northern Ireland

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had his clearance revoked in 1980 when it emerged he was gay.

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At the time, the security services would not give clearance to gay men,

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amid fears that foreign spies would blackmail them.

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None of the former Kincora residents who have given evidence to the HIA

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have claimed Sir Maurice abused them though one claimed

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A woman found with head injuries in Newry this

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morning is in a critical condition in hospital.

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It happened at a house on Hollyridge Lane,

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between the Fiveways roundabout and Carnbane industrial estate.

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Officers found her as they followed up a report about a drunk

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Police say it's not yet clear how she was hurt.

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A court has been told that a double murderer admitted to his girlfriend

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that he had used a samurai sword to kill two men

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One of them had been almost decapitated.

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Police found the two casualties in the living room of this

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Appearing for sentencing today was 47-year-old

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Armstrong initially denied carrying out the frenzied attack,

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claiming he had arrived at the house to discover

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Later, he admitted killing both Colin Lindsay and Stanley Wightman.

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All three men lived close to each other in the Belvoir Estate in south

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Belfast and were well known to each other.

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Mr Lindsay apparently telephoned Armstrong asking him to come

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All three men then spent most of the day drinking together.

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The attack happened later that evening.

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It was only discovered when Mr Armstrong then returned to his own

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home and his girlfriend noticed he was covered in blood on his face and

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on his hand. She also noted that there was a samurai sword in the

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passenger well of the car he was driving.

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The court heard that sword blows to the victims' hands and arms point

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to the murdered men trying vainly to protect themselves.

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Autopsy results record multiple sword blows to the neck

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Two incisions to Mr Lindsay's spinal cord would have

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Police arrived at the murder scene shortly after 8pm.

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They found two casualties in the living room.

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Colin Lindsay was found slumped on the sofa.

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Mr Wightman was found lying in a doorway.

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He too had sustained multiple injuries to his head and neck.

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He died of his injuries though two days later.

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Bereaved family members and friends of the two

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murdered men were in the public gallery for today's hearing.

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Albert Armstrong had been sentenced to life for the two murders.

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He will learn next month the minimum tariff he will have to serve.

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A service will take place tomorrow in Thiepval in France

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for the thousands of men from the 36th Ulster Division

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who died at the Battle of the Somme in World War One.

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They fought and died alongside friends and neighbours,

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The Royal Irish Regiment's had to learn a new anthem in preparation

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for tomorrow's Somme centenary service in France.

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The ground at the Ulster Tower in the Thiepval have been

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transformed for this special commemorative event.

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The service needs to be dignified and show

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respect to the soldiers that lost their lives

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The arts are also involved in marking

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It is a remarkable privilege to put the art next to

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the reality and see how they are against each other.

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To commemorate these men and this event and how it

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Such was the sacrifice of the 36th Ulster

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Division that it led the French Government

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to making a rather unique gesture of gratitude.

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The site that we are standing on here was donated

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in perpetuity by the people of France to the people of Ulster after

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It is our piece of land as long as there is a memorial on it.

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Technically, when you come through our gate,

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As French protocol, to this day, they don't walk into the site

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Over 2000 Ulstermen were killed with 5500

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killed, wounded and missing on the first day of the fighting.

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Tomorrow, the slaughter at the Somme will be remembered by tens

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of thousands of people 100 years after the battle.

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Everything is now in place for this special televised Somme centenary

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Probably the most important of all the centenary commemorations,

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particularly for those families who have connections with the 36th

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The centenary of the Battle of the Somme is being marked

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by an overnight vigil in County Down.

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It's open to the public and is one of several similar events

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being held across the UK. David Maxwell reports.

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This tower was well known by the men of the 36th Ulster Division. The

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trained on the land around it before heading to the battlefields of

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France. A copy of it at the Excel would become a lasting memorial to

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those who paid the ultimate prize. A century on that from the evil

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battle, a lone piper played a lament on that tower overlooking County

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Down. Within earshot at the Battle of the Somme Museum, an overnight

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vigil to remember those who were killed or injured. Week that it was

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important not only to remember those from the 36th Ulster Division. That

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is more than the 1500 who were killed on the Titanic to get some

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comparison. The men of the Tyneside Irish, nearly 1500 of them died as

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well. Among those gathered, relatives of some of the lost. My

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great uncle was a rifleman and was killed on the first day of the

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Somme. Just a young man. He has no known grave and he is on the

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Thiepval the Morrill. This overnight vigil will end at 7am tomorrow with

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another service and at approximately 7:30am, whistles will be blown here

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marking the exact time the men of the 36th Ulster Division went over

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the top and took part in one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

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And we will have a special programme live from Thiepval in France

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at a commemorative service at the Ulster Tower marking

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the 100th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme.

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That's at 1.15pm tomorrow here on BBC One.

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And on Sunday, we'll have another special programme to mark

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William Crawley will be looking back on her many visits

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to Northern Ireland over the last six decades.

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That's at 5.15pm this Sunday on BBC One.

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As the fallout from the EU referendum continues,

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our three local MEPs will be discussing what happens next

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on The View with Mark Carruthers immediately after this bulletin.

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Here's Geoff Maskell with the weather.

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July does not get off to a better start. Overnight tonight, the rain

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we had earlier will fizzle out

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