The family of IRA Disappeared victim Jean McConville to sue security chiefs

RELATIVES of IRA ‘Disappeared’ murder victim Jean McConville are to sue the PSNI and the British Army.

Lawyers are drafting a civil action claim against Chief Constable Matt Baggott and the Ministry of Defence claiming they failed to investigate her disappearance and murder 30 years ago.

The mother-of-ten was abducted by a special IRA unit set by Gerry Adams to hunt down informants within its ranks.

She vanished from her home in Divis flats, west Belfast in December 1972 and her remains were eventually found Shelling Hill beach in Co Louth in 2003.

No one was ever convicted of her abduction and murder.

On Tuesday, lawyers confirmed they had been instructed by the McConville family to sue over her murder.

Solicitor Ciaran Mulholland said: “The McConville family firmly believe that the RUC and subsequently the PSNI have utterly failed to assist the family’s quest for the truth.

“It is abundantly clear that police negligently failed to hold a prompt and efficient investigation into this matter.

“The family still do not know the circumstances of this horrendous event.

“Why was their mother taken? Why would the RUC not intervene or investigate the matter?

“The McConville family firmly believe that the RUC and subsequently the PSNI have utterly failed to assist the family’s quest for the truth.

“The family now feel that given the lengthy passage of time and the obstruction they continue to meet seeking the truth into the disappearance and murder of their mother that they have no alternative other than to hold the police and Ministry of Defence to account.

“Our clients’ feel that legal action is now essential in their journey for truth, and accordingly representations have been sent to both the chief constable and the Ministry of Defence.”

Following her abduction, Mrs McConville was interrogated by her IRA captors on suspicion of being an informant.

She was allegedly tortured and murdered by her captors sometime.

An MOD spokesman said: “The MOD has and will continue to cooperate fully with all judicial processes.

“It would be inappropriate to comment further due to the ongoing civilian police investigation.”

In the book Voices From The Grave, former IRA chief Brendan ‘Thev Dark’ Hughes claimed that Gerry Adams gave the order for Mrs McConville to be abducted and murdered.

He claimed that Adams, who was ‘Officer Commanding’ the IRA at the time, set up an IRA unit to abduct, murder and secretly bury informants as a warning to others.