Web of Deceit

Friday 24th July 2009

Web of deceit

If the PSNI think that offering Mark Haddock up for some of the murders he was involved in is suffice to exonerate his Special Branch handlers or to defuse the campaign by families then they’re seriously mistaken. This issue, collusion, is a public interest matter of huge proportions.

Focusing on Haddock is only part of the process in which the real culpability rests with those who recruited and ran Haddock, paid him over 80 thousand pounds when he was killing people and then covered his tracks.
 
Those who pulled the strings in this awful episode of human carnage – essentially deciding who would live and who would die – are the real monsters. How did they feel when they saw the grieving and heartbroken relatives and children? If anything Haddock was simply the pawn in their twisted and corrupted world of murder, terrorism and cover-up.

Haddock’s handlers were supposed to up-hold the rule of law and protect people; they were the ‘senior’ officers within the police. Their actions have gone unchecked and largely without focus never mind examination and investigation with Haddock centre stage in a bid to rebuild policing confidence in what has become a police circus at avoiding doing the right thing which is to put on trial his handlers.

The current PSNI approach conveniently fails to hold their own to account. If they really wanted to build public confidence then put Haddock’s handlers in the dock alongside him and cease spinning the web of deceit. There’re fooling no one.

Haddock became a liability and thus, like many others who had served their usefulness inevitably became expendable, others were dispatched to shoot him but he managed to survive the murder bid.

It will be interesting to see if Haddock will reveal his secrets during any forthcoming trial if it gets that far. And a Brian Nelson style deal won’t wash. For now he is right to stay in prison given the fate of the late William Stobie. But he must also look over his shoulder given what happened to agents Wright and Fulton behind bars. Our advice to Haddock is to talk now to your lawyers and a good journalist. Document it – tell the truth – seek some form of noble redemption.

Is Mise le meas,

Clara Reilly,

Chairperson, Relatives for Justice