Mount Vernon UVF agent behind North Belfast killings

Gerry Kelly

North Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has called on the Police Ombudsman's office to investigate allegations of collusion between the PSNI's Special Branch and unionist paramilitaries based in the Mount Vernon area of North Belfast.

Kelly was speaking after it emerged that the UVF killer of a grandfather in 1994 is a longstanding Special Branch agent and was working for Special Branch at the time.

Seán McParland, who lived in Dunmurry on the outskirts of South Belfast, was shot dead at his daughter's Skegoniel home in North Belfast as he was babysitting his four grandchildren. The sectarian killing was carried out by a UVF death squad from the loyalist Mount Vernon area.

And An Phoblacht has learned that the killer, the current UVF commander in Southeast Antrim, is a Special Branch agent.

The Mount Vernon UVF has, over the years, been responsible for the killing of nationalist taxi driver Sharon McKenna, UVF informer Tommy Sheppard and the Reverend David Templeton, who was beaten to death.

Speaking to An Phoblacht Sinn Féin's Gerry Kelly said new evidence was coming to light almost on a daily basis about the actions of the Mount Vernon UVF, and the impunity that the PSNI Special Branch gave it to kill.

"This killing of an innocent grandfather should of course form part of any wider Police Ombudsman's investigation into this matter."

Also speaking to An Phoblacht Seán McParland's brother Joe called for the facts surrounding the, "brutal murder of Seán to be made public and the perpetrators brought to justice".