End this hounding of our Ulster veterans

NO ONE can know for certain whether former British soldier Eddie Murphy’s suicide was a direct result of being subjected to a fresh police interrogation over actions he took decades ago in Northern Ireland.

Having been blown up by the IRA during his military service, he was clearly a damaged soul and had tried to kill himself twice before.

But for a man in such a fragile psychological state, the prospect of being dragged into a political show trial could well have pushed him over the edge. His friends are convinced it did. So will his death change anything? Will the relentless hounding of these old soldiers finally stop?

Six weeks ago the Prime Minister vowed to protect veterans such as Mr Murphy from ‘unfair prosecution’. Yet the witchhunt is actually gathering pace.

The Mail reveals today that four other former troops, all in their 60s and 70s, have been interviewed in recent days over alleged collusion with paramilitaries during the Troubles. Separately, ex-Guardsman Dennis Hutchings, 78, faces court next month charged with the attempted murder of a civilian in 1974.

And a new Historical Investigations Unit, set up in the latest Stormont deal as a sop to Sinn Fein, could run for years, resulting in hundreds of veterans waiting anxiously for a knock on the door. Meanwhile IRA killers who murdered in cold blood are free to walk the streets with impunity. It is an appalling perversion of justice. How can veterans (most of whom have been investigated over the same allegations previously and exonerated) receive a fair trial after so long? There will be little if any forensic evidence, and the testimony of surviving witnesses will inevitably be clouded by the mists of time.

In normal circumstances, such cases would fall at the first legal hurdle. Why should these be any different?

Under the military covenant, the Government pledges that everyone who serves their country will receive fair treatment when they return to civilian life.

It’s time we started living up to that promise. No more empty words. End this travesty now.