Troubles commission ‘will have to solve one murder a day’ to hit five-year deadline

A new commission to investigate killings during the Troubles will have to solve one murder every day to complete its work within its five-year timeframe, it emerged on Tuesday.

Government sources admitted on Tuesday night that the workload would be “fairly intense” for the new body to finish on time.

The commission will investigate 1,500 unsolved killings in Northern Ireland and on the mainland between 1966 and 1998, as well as producing reports on a further 2,000 deaths that led to convictions.

That equates to producing a report on one unsolved killing every day for the five-year duration of the commission.

The details of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery were made public in a new Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill placed before Parliament on Tuesday.

The Bill fulfils a Conservative manifesto pledge to protect former British troops from prosecution provided they co-operate with the new commission. Terrorists on both sides receive the same immunity from prosecution.

Future inquests and civil claims to be curtailed

A retired judge, possibly from abroad, will head the commission with a former senior police officer, also likely to be recruited from overseas, being appointed as Commissioner for Investigations.

The commission will decide if a suspect has co-operated sufficiently to be granted immunity from future prosecution.

The new Bill will curtail future inquests, civil claims, and end any future criminal prosecutions being brought against military veterans as well as terror suspects.

Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, said in a statement: “The current system is failing. It is delivering neither truth nor justice for the vast majority of families. It is letting down victims and veterans alike.

“Every family who lost a loved one, no matter who they were, will be provided with more information than ever before about the circumstances of their death.”

Johnny Mercer, who quit as veterans minister last year in protest at ongoing prosecutions of troops, welcomed the Bill. He said: “So with the introduction of this Bill, a momentous change is under way. In the Troubles, all sides were let down. This Bill will change that. If you take part in truth and reconciliation, you will be protected in law from prosecution.”

Matt Jury, the managing partner of McCue Jury & Partners, has represented troops being prosecuted in Northern Ireland and is bringing a case to the European Court of Human Rights.

He said: “It’s evidently a sincere effort to draw a line under the Troubles and build towards a permanent peace, but it’s still lacking. While it may serve, quite rightly, to protect veterans from discriminatory prosecutions, it risks handing the terrorists further ‘get out of jail free’ cards, thereby further ostracising Troubles’ victims and survivors.”

Mr Jury said that the Bill, in its present form, lacked a “requirement” for suspects to “give full and accurate accounts” and expressed concern that they did not need to make an apology.

Raymond McCord, a victims’ campaigner whose son was killed by loyalist paramilitaries, described the proposals in the Legacy Bill as “disgusting” while it is likely to face legal challenges.

He said: “Brandon Lewis says it’ll bring reconciliation. I don’t want to be reconciled with the murderers of my son, and neither does anyone in my family. Throwing litter in the street will be a bigger crime than mass murder.”

Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin’s leader in Stormont, criticised the legislation by saying it “appears to be to cover up and close down any investigation into British state policy in Northern Ireland over the last 50 years”.

“In effect, they’re like pouring concrete over Britain’s role in the conflict,” she said. “There should not be an amnesty for anybody. This is absolutely all about the British Government trying to cover up their role in the conflict.

“And for the record, Sinn Féin has always cautioned against any proposals for a statute of limitations, and we have made that clear in all of the consultations that have happened to date.”

More than 3,500 people were killed during the Troubles, including more than 1,000 members of the security forces. About 1,500 are unsolved. The new commission will investigate the unsolved deaths while also producing an historical report on all killings.