Son renews legal fight over 1976 UDA murders of parents

On 9 July 1976, Mervyn and Rosaleen were murdered in their family home in Newtownabbey by members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). They were killed in front of their young children. Almost five decades later, their family continues to seek a full and independent examination of the circumstances surrounding the attack and its aftermath.

Serious concerns have emerged over the years regarding the extent to which State agencies may have possessed intelligence concerning those responsible for the murders. There are now concerns that informants were operating within the group that carried out the attack, and that security agencies either had intelligence prior to the attack or became aware of those involved afterwards but failed to act.

Of particular concern to the McDonald family is information indicating that the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) may have obtained a confession from one of the individuals responsible for the murders of Mervyn and Rosaleen McDonald. The family understands that, despite the alleged confession, no arrest was made and no prosecution followed.

For Seamus McDonald, these matters give rise to profound concerns as to whether all reasonable investigative and prosecutorial steps were taken, and whether opportunities to bring those responsible to justice were lost.

Speaking ahead of the next stage of the proceedings, Mr McDonald said: “My family has spent almost fifty years seeking answers about the murder of my parents, Mervyn and Rosaleen McDonald. The pain of their loss has never diminished, nor has our determination to understand the full truth about what happened.

The information which has emerged over recent years raises deeply troubling questions. If evidence existed which could have led to those responsible being arrested or prosecuted, the family is entitled to know why that did not happen.

We want a full and transparent examination of all the facts, so that the circumstances of my parents’ murders, and any failures which followed, can finally be brought into the light.

After nearly five decades, our family hopes that justice, in its fullest sense, can still be achieved.”

Gary Duffy, solicitor at KRW Law: “For almost fifty years, the McDonald family has sought answers concerning the murders of Mervyn and Rosaleen McDonald and the circumstances in which the investigation was conducted. The allegations which have emerged raise serious and legitimate questions regarding what information was available to State authorities, how that information was handled, and whether opportunities to bring those responsible before the courts were missed.

“The family’s concerns are particularly acute in light of information suggesting that a confession may have been obtained by the Historical Enquiries Team without any subsequent arrest or prosecution. These are matters that warrant careful judicial scrutiny.”