R.N.U. Rejects Brady Inquiry Whitewash

national | crime and justice | press release Wednesday October 27, 2010 10:56 by RNU PRO - Republican Network for Unity (RNU)

Since his death at Strand Road Barracks, the bereaved family of John Brady has had serious concerns that the Ombudsman inquiry into the death of the prominent Republican while in constabulary custody might produce another McGurk type fiasco, or worse a whitewash, instead of trustworthy findings.

Since his death at Strand Road Barracks, the bereaved family of John Brady has had serious concerns that the Ombudsman inquiry into the death of the prominent Republican while in constabulary custody might produce another McGurk type fiasco, or worse a whitewash, instead of trustworthy findings.

Speaking in support of the family, DANNY McBREARTY, Cathaoirleach/Chairperson of the REPUBLICAN NETWORK for UNITY (RNU) said;

“From the outset, there were concerns that Ombudsman did not want to know about any facts or evidence which pointed to constabulary culpability. Investigators seemed in a headlong rush to clear or whitewash the constabulary no matter the truth. R.N.U. has long questioned whether the Police Ombudsman was acting as a Police advocate, turning a blind eye to every inconvenient truth which tended to prove PSNI culpability, as a prelude to saying they could see no such proof.

MOTIVE

We have already seen the righteous anger and anguish of the bereaved relatives of the McGurk Bombing victims, who publicly and rightfully slated the Ombudsman for the same faults, failings and insensitivity in that fiasco which the Brady family has witnessed in the investigation of John’s death.

We wish to put questions publicly about motive, prior threats against the victim, opportunity and concealment which would be key parts of any genuine murder inquiry.

John was jailed for IRA operations against the RUC. Even after his release on license under the terms of the Good Friday deal, he was known and hated by the British constabulary as an unrepentant Republican, who did not disavow what he viewed as service to his country .Their bitter hatred was made known to John by threats, taunts, arrests, attempts to frame him and insults which continued up until and including the day John died in their custody at Strand Road Barracks.

QUESTIONS

Why have investigators shown no interest in this motive and these threats? Why is there no CCTV footage? Was John left in a room where there was no CCTV, or was he brought to a room with no CCTV to hide what would be done to him?

During a weekend parole on Friday October 2, John who had served 18 years as a Republican political prisoner was involved in a minor family dispute with a brother-in- law. John joked with his solicitor while in Strand Road. A Republican political prisoner on weekend parole, John had served 18 years, was nearing the end of his time on license, had won dismissal of far more serious false charges and had every reason to believe that this minor complaint would be withdrawn or dismissed.

How could a man like John of such spirit and resilience with so much to look forward too, become despondent over a minor domestic incident”?

Mr. McBrearty concluded; “The Brady family has asked such questions about John’s death which deserve answers but would seem to have been given little or no consideration thus far. Nationalists were pledged that the Police Ombudsman would be more than just a police advocate there to rubberstamp the constabulary. That pledge has not been honoured by those investigating the death of John Brady at Strand Road Barracks”.