Para in joyrider death case in call for end to ‘witch-hunt’ of veterans
Soldier convicted then cleared of murder says ex-army men deserve protection from courts
FORMER paratrooper Lee Clegg, who was convicted and then cleared of murdering a teenage Belfast joyrider, has called for an end to the witch-hunt of veterans who served in Northern Ireland.
The 51-year-old was jailed for life for murder in 1993 after he opened fire on a car which sped through an Army checkpoint, resulting in the death of two teenagers.
Karen Reilly (18) died alongside driver Martin Peake (17) in a stolen car that members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on in west Belfast in 1990. A third teenager was also injured.
Mr Clegg was convicted after an RUC officer on patrol with the soldiers testified that members of the patrol struck Private Barry Aindow on the leg to make it appear he had been hit by the car.
He always maintained he had fired at the car in 1990 fearing for the safety of his fellow soldiers.
He was released from prison in 1998, two years after the conviction, having served a total of four and a half years, including time on remand. His legal team argued Mr Clegg, among eight soldiers who fired on the stolen car, was doing his duty in a dangerous and pressurised situation. His release was greeted by rioting in Belfast.
Mr Clegg has now backed politicians and legal experts demanding urgent legislation to protect elderly long-retired soldiers from alleged historic offences.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “These veterans must be going through a massively traumatic experience. I certainly did. To be honest, I don’t think I have even recovered from it now.
“It must be extremely difficult at their stage in life, after such a long period of time, to find themselves in this position.”
Mr Clegg spoke about ‘ on the run’ letters given to suspected IRA terrorists, telling them they were no longer wanted by police. “It should be equal,” he said. “Tony Blair — thankfully for the peace deal — allowed terrorists not to be prosecuted, but that should be the same for serv
ing soldiers. I find it unreasonable that elderly men are now going to court. If there have been inquiries and there is no further evidence to support a case, when that case is brought forward again there can only be a political objective.”
MPS and veterans have recently hit out at Government delays to a new NI Bill designed to protect ex-soldiers from decades-old
probes into the Troubles.
Plans for the legislation have stalled despite pledges from Boris Johnson and other ministers.
A UK Government spokesman said it “has been clear that it will bring forward legislation to address the legacy of the Troubles which focuses on reconciliation, delivers for victims, and ends the cycle of investigations that has failed victims and veterans alike”.