The Irish Daily Star (northern edition), 9 February 2003:

Family says more Barron files are missing

Dramatic new claim

Exclusive

The family of a man murdered by former soldiers in 1976 claim that files relating to the case - which is being probed by justice Henry Barron - have gone missing.

'Shine light on Ludlow files'

Family calls for answers

Exclusive

By Mick Browne

The family of a man abducted and murdered by British soldiers in 1976 have hit out at the failure of the Irish Department of Justice and the Barron Commission to explain if files on the killing still exist.

"We want either the Department of Justice or Justice Barron to say if these files are safe," said the family in a statement.

"We should not have to wait months to be told if they still exist."

Co Louth man Seamus Ludlow was shot dead and dumped in a lane on May 1, 1976 by a four-man gang of former UDR soldiers and a loyalist paramilitary.

When it was delivered last December, Justice Henry Barron's report into the 1974 Dublin-Monaghan bombings criticised the then-Irish government and the original Garda investigation.

Probing

But the inquiry found no evidence of British collusion at a senior level in the bombings.

Barron is also probing the Ludlow case, 1972-73 Dublin bombings and a 1975 bombing in Dundalk.

The Ludlow family's call comes after Taoiseach Bertie Ahern admitted that files on the 1974 Dublin-Monaghan bombings have 'vanished from both the Department of justice and Garda Headquarters.

Last night, Ludlow's nephew Michael Donegan told The Irish Daily Star they want to know if the files relating to his uncle's death are safe.

Light

"If the files on Dublin-Monaghan are missing, then so must ours - shine light on the files."

When quizzed about the files, Department of justice spokesman said: "While Justice Barron is investigating we would make no comment.

"He is undertaking that probe on the same basis as he did the Dublin-Monaghan bombings, and no comment on that probe while it was ongoing, we will be saying nothing on this."

Donegan explained: "In some senses, our case is more damaging than the other case (Dublin-Monaghan 1974 bombings), as the authorities have never admitted to the 1974 families that they knew who the killers were.

"But they told us they knew who killed Uncle Seamus."

 Efforts to contact Justice Barron's office have been unsuccessful.

Inquiry

Ludlow's family now believe their 47-year old uncle was not a random target but was picked up by a four-man British killer-gang while hitching a lift to his Mountpleasant home from Dundalk.

Ludlow's family suspect that he saw British army activity in the town.

The gang is reported to have gone to Dundalk to abduct an IRA man, but took Seamus instead.

 I Homepage I I Top I

Justice for the Forgotten at http://www.dublinmonaghanbombings.org/. The Barron Report on the May 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings can be downloaded in pdf format from http://www.irlgov.ie/oireachtas/Committees-29th-D%E1il/jcjedwr-debates/InterimDubMon.pdf