REACTION:RELATIVES OF those killed in the IRA bombing at Claudy expressed anger that those responsible had not been brought to justice, following a two-hour meeting yesterday with police ombudsman Al Hutchinson.
Tracey Deans, whose great-uncle James McClelland (65) was killed in the second car bomb explosion outside the village’s Beaufort Hotel in Church Street, said she was “outraged” when told at the meeting that Fr James Chesney continued with his IRA activities after he was moved to Co Donegal. “I and we all have just been informed that this priest continued with his IRA acts after he was moved to Donegal . . . I would like to know how many other people suffered, how many other people died, lost their lives, because of him after Claudy.”
Mary Hamilton a Unionist member of Derry City Council who was injured in the explosions, described the relatives’ meeting with the ombudsman as daunting. “It was daunting for Claudy, for the families and for the relatives . . . We now hope to use the contents of this report to bring those responsible for the Claudy atrocity to justice.”
Mark Eakin, whose sister Kathryn (8) was killed in the first of the three blasts, said the ombudsman’s report should be forwarded to the British government. “The then secretary of state for Northern Ireland William Whitelaw would not have had the authority to become involved in talks aimed at moving a suspect to outside the jurisdiction without approval from the top . . . I also want to know what happened at the talks involving Cardinal Conway, the British government and the RUC because the decisions taken after Claudy were taken at the highest level.”
Gordon Miller said he was still grieving for his grandfather David (60), who was killed in the second of the three explosions.