THE second Sinn Fein candidate in the Belfast bar around the time of the McCartney murder was Deirdre Hargey, 23, who plans to stand in May’s election to Belfast City Council. Of course, she saw nothing. Given that one of the McCartney sisters has suggested there were quite a few members of SF and the IRA in the bar (after the Bloody Sunday commemoration), this could eventually stretch SF’s credibility about claims to be helping the sisters to beyond breaking point.
Paula McCartney, sister of the murder victim, said the other SF candidate, Caara Groogan, had a duty to present any evidence she may have before a court. Given that her statement appears not to have even reached the Police Ombudsman yet, what use is SF’s ‘help’ right now, except to itself alone?
“The fact that it has been six weeks and she is only putting that statement in now, with the full knowledge that a solicitor is an inadequate way of gathering knowledge,” she said.
“She may feel that what she saw was unimportant – I think that is for the police to decide.
“I believe it was her public duty – she should have gone straight to the police with this.”
Ms McCartney added that the fact Miss Groogan had waited so long to come forward had led the family to wonder about how many Sinn Fein or IRA members were in the bar on the night of the murder.
The sound on my PC appears to have given up, but I’m told that there’s an interview by the BBC’s Gareth Gordon here (for today anyway) with one of the McCartney sisters that’s worth listening to. It’s 32 minutes into the show.
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