The Irish Daily Star (Northern Edition), 1 March 2004:

'Murder suspect is after publicity'

Family speak out as 'Mambo' denies killing

'Mambo's linked himself to the killing'

Exclusive

By Mick Browne

The Ludlow family has dismissed the latest denial from 'Mambo' that he murdered their uncle Seamus in 1976.

The family have waited patiently for over a week to obtain a copy of an exclusive interview with the suspect, Samuel Black-Carroll, in a British newspaper.

Told of the contents by the Irish Daily Star, Ludlow's nephew Michael Donegan said: "This man is looking for notoriety. What's his point in bringing this all up again at this time - is he trying to blame someone else, prejudice a trial or what?

"He is nothing more than someone who likes to drop names about his past.

"Clearly he has a lot of information, and perhaps he should be quizzed about that by the authorities."

In the interview, suspect Samuel Black-Carroll, denied killing Ludlow and hit out at publicity linking him to the killing.

"It just doesn't make sense for me to have been involved in the Seamus Ludlow case," he said.

"The name Samuel Black-Carroll was never mentioned in the interviews, it was always 'Mambo'.

There's only one person who carried that name in the whole of Ireland and that's me.

"The murder is associated with that name rather than me.

"But during 1976 I was out of the country for a while and I went 'missing'.

"Many people thought I was dead - they thought I had been killed in a car crash in Guernsey.

"I was arrested in 1998 in England and flown under a glare of publicity to Ireland - which caused me a lot of hardship.

"At first, I thought I was being arrested for the murder of Maire Drumm, who was the vice-president of Sinn Fein.

Word

I've been arrested for that before on the word of a supergrass. 

"The people who killed Seamus Ludlow apparently were drunk.

"I'm not a serious drinker, that's well known."

He then boasted of his former connections with some of the most notorious loyalist killers.

He continued: "I have never denied being a loyalist. My closest friends in Northern Ireland are from various loyalist groups, including the Red Hand Commando with whom I have been closely associated for years.

"I have also been associated with the UVF, the UDA, the UFF and the Orange Volunteers."

He then revealed his ties to one of the North's most brutal killers - the Shankhill Butcher Lenny Murphy

"One of my greatest friends was Lenny Murphy, who ran the Butchers," he said.

"People have identified me as one of the Butchers, but I wasn't - although I was closely associated with the leadership.

"I supported the killing of known activists in the area, not the killing of innocent people.

"People who were not activists should not have been targeted."

He then went on to damn loyalists over drug links.

"A lot of loyalists today are drug barons, but I am anti-drugs," he said.

Degraded

"The concept of loyalism has become degraded

"I don't want to be associated with it anymore."

But Donegan countered: "The only man going to the press and linking him to this is himself," he said.

"It's him approaching the newspapers and confirming his identity, not us.

"He has gone out of his way to link himself to Uncle Seamus' death.

*If he doesn't want publicity then he is a fairly stupid man.

If he wanted to disassociate himself from it, why name himself in the first place? Perhaps he's trying to prejudice a trial but we don't think there'll be one.

"I can see no reason why this is being reported at this time as the DPP is unlikely to bring charges ."

It was in 1998 that Bangor man Paul Hosking claimed he and three others - two UDR men and a Red Hand Commando known as 'Mambo' - travelled to Dundalk to abduct a known IRA man, but took Seamus Ludlow instead.

Hosking went on to claim that 'Mambo' shot Ludlow after they stopped to go to the toilet.

Hosking claimed he first confessed to an RUC Special Branch officer in 1987 - but was told, 'Forget it, it's political.'

In 1998, he and three others - including 'Mambo' -  were quizzed by the RUC over the claims, but the North's DPP recommended no prosecutions.

Evidence

However, the family persisted and in 2002 they met with Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan.

It is understood her office felt there was enough evidence for charges to be brought against the four.

And last week Barron confirmed the four-man gang behind the murder had been in Dundalk the night of Ludlow's death.