Police failed to connect rifle to murders, says watchdog

Police failed to make a connection between a rifle recovered by officers in 1988 and the sectarian murder of two Catholics weeks earlier, a report by the Police Ombudsman has found.

Seamus Morris, 18, and Peter Dolan, 25, died in the attack in Ardoyne.

"The failure to correctly link the VZ58 rifle, at the point it was recovered, to the murders deprived investigators from developing lines of inquiry and interviewing suspects," the report stated.

It also identified other "missed" investigative opportunities.

The ombudsman investigated the double murder after a complaint from Mr Morris' family 10 years ago.

The student was shot dead by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) as he crossed Etna Drive with his brother on 8 August 1988.

A gunman opened fire from a passing taxi which had been hijacked in the Shankill area.

Moments later, Mr Dolan was fired on in a lorry at nearby Brompton Park.

Neither of the victims had any connection to any paramilitary organisation.

The rifle used in the killings was recovered by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in late September and was incorrectly linked to three other murders.

Ombudsman Marie Anderson said the "misattribution" of weapons was potentially "a systemic issue".

She added: "However, it is not known the extent to which murder investigations involving the use of VZ58 assault rifles may have been misdirected in consequence of these errors."

Her investigation found that six months before the murders, police had intelligence that the UVF had acquired rifles and were storing them at a social club.

But there is no evidence of "disruptive tactics".

Two people were arrested in the days following the attack.

Police had intelligence which linked one of the suspects to the UVF and to the storage of weapons.

The ombudsman investigation found no evidence that his alibi was checked.

Nor was his clothing seized and checked for gunshot residue.

Mr Morris' brother had described one of the occupants of the gunman's car, but there is no record that police considered showing him suspect photographs or holding an identification parade.

In 2008, police established that one of the fingerprints detected on the stolen taxi belonged to a suspected UVF member.

The ombudsman questioned why he was not identified in 1988, when the fingerprint was compared to a list of paramilitaries, which included him.

Mr Morris' family, in its complaint to the ombudsman, claimed RUC officers had colluded, directly or indirectly, in his murder.

Mrs Anderson said she was not permitted to "express any view" due a recent court case.

She concluded: "I believe that Mr Morris and Mr Dolan were the innocent victims of a campaign of sectarian violence mounted against the nationalist community."

"Loyalist extremists were responsible for their murders." she said.

"However, given the investigative failings and omissions identified, I believe that the Morris family were failed by police in their search for accountability for the murders of their loved one".

Setanta Marley, the solicitor acting for the Morris family, said: "Today's Police Ombudsman statement represents a damning indictment of the RUC who absolutely failed the family.

"Sadly, they learned about a litany of failings and omissions.

"We now call on the chief constable to apologise to the family.

"It's the very least they can expect on what has been a very difficult day for them."

Lisa Morris, the victim's sister, added: "We are aware that because of a court ruling the Police Ombudsman cannot make a finding of collusion or collusive behaviour.

"As far as we are concerned, the contents of the report confirm there was collusion."

Seamus Morris,18, was making his way home from a youth training programme, when he was shot dead.

He was at the junction of Etna Drive and Brompton Park in Ardoyne, when the attack happened.

A BBC report at the time said his teenage brother, who was with him, escaped unhurt.

As the gunmen sped round the corner, they fired more shots at a lorry that was pulling out into the street.

The bullets hit Peter Dolan, 25, who was treated at the scene, but later died in hospital.

The Ulster Volunteer Force murdered more than 500 people during the Troubles.

It was formed in 1966 and adopted the names and symbols of the original UVF, the movement founded in 1912 by Sir Edward Carson to fight against Irish home rule.

The UVF shot dead the first police officer to be murdered during the Troubles.

The organisation was later involved in various atrocities including the bombing of McGurk's Bar in Belfast, the sectarian killings of the Shankill Butchers and the Loughinisland massacre.

It sometimes claimed killings using the cover name the Protestant Action Force.

It has also been embroiled in feuds with other paramilitary organisations.

In recent years, it has been linked to serious criminality including drug dealing.