Document hints at RUC 'collusion'

A British government intelligence document suggested a Catholic RUC officer may have been involved in the assassination of two RUC officers, the Smithwick Tribunal has been told.

Chief Supt Harry Breen and Supt Bob Buchanan were killed in an IRA ambush on the Edenappa Road in south Armagh as they returned from a meeting in Dundalk Garda station, on March 20th 1989.

The Smithwick Tribunal is inquiring into suggestions that a member or members of the Garda in Dundalk, or any other employees of the State, may have colluded with the IRA in the killings.

This morning the tribunal was told an intelligence document entitled HMG151 and dated August 2002, had raised the possibility that the leak to the IRA which detailed the officers movements on the day they were shot, may have come from the RUC.

Counsel for the tribunal Justin Dillon read the heavily redacted document which had been supplied to the tribunal by the PSNI.

The compiler of the intelligence document, whose name was also redacted, warned against the British insisting on an inquiry into the RUC men’s murders. This was because it was felt such an inquiry might be counter productive, in that it implicated the RUC.

The document made a reference to reliable information, from a female informant, that the leak had come form a Catholic officer within the force.

The document noted the informant recommended the issue of the murders not be placed on the agenda for the British Irish summit at Weston Park summit in 2002.

The Weston Park summit held during the peace process negotiations discussed allegations of collusion between the RUC and loyalist paramilitaries.

Owen Corrigan a former Det Sgt in Dundalk station has previously told the tribunal allegations that he colluded in targeting the RUC officers for murder were part of a plan to deflect attention from British security service collusion with loyalists.

Mr Corrigan told the tribunal “the Irish Government went to Weston Park to complain” of British security force collusion in murders of members of the nationalist community in Northern Ireland.

But he said the British side had produced “a paid agent” known as Peter Keeley to make counter allegations alleging a garda in Dundalk was passing information to the IRA.

Mr Corrigan said the result was that he had become the victim of “a monstrous lie”.