20 January 2000 Edition
UVF commander worked in RUC barracks
An Phoblacht has learned that the building firm run by assassinated UVF leader Richard Jameson carried out building work in Gough RUC barracks in Armagh, one of the North's most notorious RUC interrogation centres, and in Maghaberry Prison.
As recently as last December, Jameson's firm was working in Maghaberry.
An Phoblacht has been told that a building company from West Belfast supplied Jameson's firm with materials and workers that workers who were sent to carry out work in Gough and Maghaberry refused to go onto these sites.
This news, added to the disclosure that Jameson's building firm carried out work in DSS offices in West Belfast, has raised fears that the UVF may have had access to the personal details of nationalists.
Voicing nationalist concerns, Sinn Féin's Sean Hayes said: ``The very fact that the RUC were able to say that Jameson, an ex-RUC reservist, was a UVF commander so quickly after his assassination must raise the question of how he managed to receive security clearance to work in such places.''
Expressing concern at the news that Jameson, a former RUC man, Orange Order member and UVF leader could have had access to DSS files, Hayes told An Phoblacht: ``Social Security offices contain files detailing people's addresses and appointment times. It is obviously a source of concern that a leading figure in the loyalist death squads may have had access to this information.''
Meanwhile, an employee of a DSS office who has previously received a death threat from the Red Hand Defenders, told An Phoblacht ``it was only when we heard about his death that we realised this was the guy carrying out work at our office.
``It made me suspicious immediately, because several employees here had death threats delivered to their doors recently. I wouldn't be surprised that the fact that this UVF guy was working here had some connection with this.''
Another employee said: ``A lot of employees tend to leave their computers switched on when they go for a break. Jameson or anyone working for him could easily access data. They also come into work at weekends and as far as I know are unsupervised.''
As recently as last December, Jameson's firm was working in Maghaberry.
An Phoblacht has been told that a building company from West Belfast supplied Jameson's firm with materials and workers that workers who were sent to carry out work in Gough and Maghaberry refused to go onto these sites.
This news, added to the disclosure that Jameson's building firm carried out work in DSS offices in West Belfast, has raised fears that the UVF may have had access to the personal details of nationalists.
Voicing nationalist concerns, Sinn Féin's Sean Hayes said: ``The very fact that the RUC were able to say that Jameson, an ex-RUC reservist, was a UVF commander so quickly after his assassination must raise the question of how he managed to receive security clearance to work in such places.''
Expressing concern at the news that Jameson, a former RUC man, Orange Order member and UVF leader could have had access to DSS files, Hayes told An Phoblacht: ``Social Security offices contain files detailing people's addresses and appointment times. It is obviously a source of concern that a leading figure in the loyalist death squads may have had access to this information.''
Meanwhile, an employee of a DSS office who has previously received a death threat from the Red Hand Defenders, told An Phoblacht ``it was only when we heard about his death that we realised this was the guy carrying out work at our office.
``It made me suspicious immediately, because several employees here had death threats delivered to their doors recently. I wouldn't be surprised that the fact that this UVF guy was working here had some connection with this.''
Another employee said: ``A lot of employees tend to leave their computers switched on when they go for a break. Jameson or anyone working for him could easily access data. They also come into work at weekends and as far as I know are unsupervised.''