Father raps unionists over quest for justice
By David Gordon
31 October 2005
Anti-UVF campaigner Raymond McCord has accused unionist politicians of failing to stand alongside him in his quest to expose his son’s killers.
Mr McCord was speaking after senior Dublin politician Pat Rabbitte used parliamentary privilege in the Dail to accuse named Belfast loyalists and the police over the 1997 murder of Raymond McCord Jnr.
Mr McCord, a Protestant, said: “A thank-you letter is on its way to Mr Rabbitte to show my gratitude for what he has done for my family and especially young Raymond.
“I was present in the Dail for his speech and it was very emotional for me.
“It is disgraceful that I did not get this kind of support from unionist politicians and had to go to Dublin.
“Even after what happened in the Dail, not a single unionist politician has lifted the phone to speak to me.
“I was ignored or ridiculed up here - many people did not want to know.”
Raymond McCord Jnr (22), was beaten to death and his body dumped in a quarry by a UVF gang in November 1997.
In his Dail speech last week, Mr Rabbitte, the leader of the Irish Labour Party, alleged that two RUC Special Branch agents within the UVF were involved in the killing.
The Dublin TD claimed the murder was carried out on the orders of a long-standing informer, Mark Haddock, while another informer called John Bond was present.
He also named loyalist John “Bunter” Graham as the “officer commanding the UVF on the Shankill Road”.
Mr Rabbitte further alleged that Haddock has been associated with a string of other UVF murders.
The Irish Labour leader said: “Mr Raymond McCord has lost a 22-year-old son to a violent and ruthless organisation that seems to have operated with the surreptitious sanction of the police.
“We owe it to him and to all others who have lost family, friends and neighbours to ensure, as best we can, that they receive justice.”
Haddock (37), from Mount Vernon in north Belfast, was refused bail on Friday. His trial for the attempted murder of a bar doorman in Ballyclare is due to start next week.
Police objected to his bail application on the grounds that public order would be threatened if he was released.
Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan is, meanwhile, finalising her investigation on a complaint from Mr McCord about the police inquiry into his son’s murder.
Ex-RUC detective Johnston Brown has also made a series of allegations about Special Branch practices and the UVF Mount Vernon gang. His book, Into the Dark, is published on November 1.
