The Five Demands

L’Historical Enquiries Team svela l’innocenza del ventiduenne Michael McLarnon uccisco nel 1971 ad Ardoyne

La notizia è stata rivelata durante la conferenza stampa tenutasi presso il Pat Finucane Centre. Michael McLarnon, 22 anni, è stato ucciso a Etna Drive, nella zona Ardoyne.
Quattro anni dopo la sua morte, nel 1975 il tenente Clifford Burrage scrisse alla famiglia della vittima che McLarnon al momento dell’assassinio era armato era nell’organizzazione di una banda di uomini dell’IRA.
Oggi l’Historical Enquiries Team ha presentato “prove inconfutabili che Michael era innocente”, riporta Mary Kelly sorella di Michael.
“L’HET non solo pensa che Michael  sia stata una vittima completamente innocente, ma ritiene anche che il tenente Burrage non sia stata la persona a sparare”.
“Durante l’esame del caso, HET ha rilevato che le prove fornite da Burrage nel corso degli anni, anche per quanto riguarda il programma tasmesso dalla BBC (“Facing the Truth”, 2006), non corrispondono ai fatti”.
La relazione sostiene che un altro gruppo di soldati aveva sparato due proiettili e proiettili di plastica contro una folla che si era radunata nella zona.
Sarebbe stato uno di quei proiettili a colpire il fratello, mentre si trovava sulla soglia di casa. Michael spirò poche ore dopo in ospedale.

Estratto da “Facing the Truth” e le parole di Mary Kelly (Video)

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Ardoyne man Michael McLarnon innocent, HET report finds (UTV)
The family of a man shot dead by soldiers in 1971 has welcomed a report by the Historical Enquiries team which says he was an innocent victim.
Michael McLarnon, 22, was shot dead at Etna Drive in the Ardoyne area.
In 1975, Lieutenant Clifford Burrage told the family he shot Mr McLarnon as he was armed and organising IRA gunmen.
However, on Wednesday Mr McLarnon’s sister Mary Kelly said the HET had found a different army patrol fired the shots and Michael was an innocent man.
Details of the report were released at a press conference by the Pat Finucane Centre.
Mr Burrage wrote to the McLarnon family four years after the killing admitting to shooting their son, then appeared with Mrs Kelly on the BBC’s Facing the Truth programme in 2006.
Mrs Kelly told Wednesday’s press conference the HET report had produced “irrefutable evidence that Michael was innocent”.
Mr McLarnon’s sister, Mary Kelly, welcomed the report from the HET
“The HET not only thinks that Michael was a complete innocent victim, but also considers that Lieutenant Burrage – despite his longstanding claim – was not the person that shot Michael.
“During the review of the case, the HET found that the evidence Burrage had given over the years, including on the BBC programme, did not match the facts. ”
She said the report found that another group of soldiers had fired two live rounds and plastic bullets at a crowd that had gathered in the area.
She said one of the bullets struck her brother as he stood at the gate of his house. He died hours later in the Mater Hospital.
“We welcome the HET’s conclusion that Michael was a totally innocent victim,” Mrs Kelly said.
“He was not in possession of a firearm that night and he was not organising other gunmen in Etna Drive.”
Despite the HET’s findings, Mrs Kelly said she did not regret going on the Facing the Truth programme with Mr Burrage, who she described as a “story-teller”.
“At the end of the day it still highlighted Michael – that he was shot,” she said.
The Pat Finucane Centre, representing Michael McLarnon’s family, said the original investigation into the shooting by the Royal Military Police was irrevocably flawed.