McBride family welcomes US intervention

Jean McBride, mother of murdered Belfast teenager Peter McBride, has welcomed the intervention of a number of US Senators who have called for an investigation into the award of a US Defence Department Iraq contract to a firm led by Tim Spicer, a former Scots Guards officer who was CO in Belfast when her son was shot dead.

Presidential candidate John Kerry, Senators Teddy Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd and Charles Schumer, have lent their support to a campaign launched by the Irish National Caucus to have the US Department of Defence cancel the contract. The five powerful Senators have written to Secretary of Defence, Donald Rumsfeld, urging him direct the Inspector General to investigate how the contract came to be awarded.

In Belfast on 4 September 1992, the British Army stopped the 18-year-old father of two. An identity check showed that he was not wanted and a body search found him unarmed. Peter McBride panicked and ran away from the soldiers. Scots Guardsmen Mark Wright and James Fisher chased him, shot him in the back and killed him.

Spicer later claimed that the murder by soldiers under his command was justified, that Peter McBride 'probably' had a weapon which locals disposed of, that he had lured his soldiers into a trap and that Wright and Fisher should never have been prosecuted. Spicer's claims, which caused great hurt to the family, were rejected at trial.

In February 1995 the two soldiers were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. In September 1998 they were released from prison under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. On 3 November 1998 an Army Board, including General Mike Jackson (of Bloody Sunday notoriety) and John Spellar (current Six-County Minister responsible for human rights) decided they could continue to serve in the army under an "exceptional reasons" clause. This was justified by the Army Board coming to the conclusion that the Scots Guardsmen had committed an "error of judgement".

"Peter's anniversary is this coming Saturday and it is comforting to see such high profile support from the US," said Jean McBride. "We are awaiting judgement from the courts in the battle to have Wright and Fisher kicked out of the British Army and its great to see that our family is not alone. Even the US presidential candidate John Kerry, has taken this on board and spoken out against this contract. Surely some day soon justice will be done."