While Republicans sit at home relaxed, ageing British soldiers live in trepidation

‘Governments have sought to reduce the prospect of prosecution of IRA terrorists, some of whom are now elected Sinn Fein politicians’

The spectre of the State rigorously pursuing an agenda of appeasing Sinn Fein by pouring resources into prosecuting those who served in Northern Ireland has raised its ugly head again. The subject, known as “Sergeant O”, is a former paratrooper with a Military Medal for valour. He is accused of attempted murder as a result of shots he may have fired, knocking off masonry and injuring protesters, during Bloody Sunday in 1972. While the IRA admits it fired at the Army during this violent day, none of its members are being sought.

Grenadier Guardsman David Jonathan Holden is also being charged for gross negligence manslaughter over the death of Aidan Mcanespie, 23, at the Irish border outside Aughnacloy, in 1988. Holden was an 18-year-old soldier protecting a frontier point in an area where the IRA had carried out numerous attacks on local Protestants. On a wet Sunday afternoon, his weapon discharged and the round ricocheted off the ground, striking Mcanespie fatally. Holden claimed his hand was wet and his finger slipped. Mcanespie’s family, who were staunch Republicans, claimed murder. Soon after the incident, Holden was charged with manslaughter, but this was withdrawn by the same prosecution service that has now resurrected the case. Sinn Fein is delighted that more former soldiers will be in the dock.

Many Services personnel who risked their lives defending democracy now live in daily fear of a knock on their door to tell them they are to be charged, 30 or 40 years after they served in Northern Ireland. Where does the Government stand on this? The Prime Minister has recognised the injustice of the constant grind of multiple police officers looking for evidence to charge soldiers, all of whom were subjected to investigation at the time. But recognition of the problem is not enough. The Government must act. There is no organised campaign to bring IRA killers to justice. Indeed, governments have sought to reduce the prospect of prosecution of IRA terrorists, some of whom are now elected Sinn Fein politicians.

One example of this hypocrisy was the “On the Run” scheme set up by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) in 2006, to enable IRA members – who, for their own reasons, believed they were under investigation, and had left their homes during the Troubles – to avoid arrest and prosecution. Under Peter Hain’s leadership at the NIO, an arrangement was reached with Sinn Fein that these people could write to police, through Sinn Fein, and ask if they were under investigation or wanted for arrest. Sir Hugh Orde drew the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) into this scheme. Hundreds of letters of comfort were sent by the NIO to Republicans, assuring them they were not wanted. In 2013, Sean Downey was able to produce such a letter when he was charged with the 1983 murder of 11 soldiers in an IRA bombing in Hyde Park. While the PSNI had advised the NIO that Downey was not wanted in Northern Ireland, they changed the wording and informed him he wasn’t wanted by any UK police force, which was incorrect.

This project to send letters was a political one to sidestep rejection in Parliament of legislation to give an effective amnesty to IRA killers as part of a deal to keep the IRA from violence. Today, IRA members sit at home relaxed, while ageing British soldiers live in trepidation of a vendetta and wonder how they can defend themselves against a system with endless financial resources. The time has come to change this. I urge every former British soldier who served in Northern Ireland, and retired police officers, to write to George Hamilton, the chief constable of the PSNI, the Home Secretary, the Northern Ireland Secretary and the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, outlining the dates of their service in Northern Ireland or on counter-ira terrorist operations overseas and ask: “Am I under investigation? And, if so, what am I under investigation for?” If Sinn Fein had the right to ask these questions and get a written response, then our gallant servicemen and police officers also deserve answers.

Given that Sinn Fein has a right to sit on the policing board, I would suggest individuals consider writing via their regimental associations so as not to disclose their home address. As Gerry Adams, who was the president of Sinn Fein at the time, said rather sinisterly of the IRA in 1995, “they haven’t gone away, you know”.

I have prepared a simple template for ex-service personnel and police to follow. Use the email addresses and it won’t cost you a penny on postage. As Austen Morgan pointed out in his book Tony Blair and the IRA: the Irish State legislated three times in 1923-24 to protect from civil and criminal liability “first, UK forces, second, republicans in the war of independence; and third, Free State forces in the civil war”. Unlike the Irish, our government prefers to do deals to appease terrorists and prosecute its own servicemen.