Undercover Soldiers Watched as Loyalist Death Squad Killed Catholic Teenager

Strategic Insights -

A shocking revelation has emerged from the Historical Enquiries Team's report into the murder of 17-year-old Damien Walsh in 1993, which details how undercover soldiers watched as a loyalist death squad killed a Catholic teenager. The soldiers were tasked with monitoring a shopping centre where Damien worked, as it had been frequented by known IRA men, and had information that bomb-making materials were being stored there.

The report highlights the tragic events surrounding Damien's death, where he was shot in the head by two UFF gunmen at Dairy Farm shopping centre near his home in Poleglass, West Belfast. His mother, Marian Walsh, expressed her shock and disgust at the revelation, questioning why the soldiers did not intervene to stop the shooting.

Key Takeaways:

  • Undercover soldiers were watching the shopping centre where Damien worked, which had been frequented by known IRA men and had bomb-making materials stored there.
  • The soldiers were too far away to intervene to stop the shooting and immediately radioed in what they were witnessing to the RUC, but provided a flawed description of the gunmen's vehicle.
  • Damien had not been involved in paramilitary activity and was not the UFF's intended target.
  • His mother, Marian Walsh, has asked the Police Ombudsman's office to carry out a separate investigation into the RUC probe into the killing.
  • The Walsh family has questioned the conflicting reports about the shooting, including the number of shots fired.
  • Sinn Fein West Belfast MLA Jennifer McCann stated that the revelation will not surprise the community in West Belfast, citing the history of the British Army in Ireland being a story of direct and indirect responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of citizens.

Statistics:

  • 5 tonnes of fertiliser were found in a unit at the shopping centre after the murder.
  • £12million is being spent per year supplying 31 inquests with redacted documents and supporting the HET probe into more than 3,000 unsolved killings.

Sources:

  • "Historical Enquiries Team report into the murder of Damien Walsh in 1993"
  • "Policing Board in Belfast" Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie speaking to the Policing Board in Belfast
  • BBC News
  • The Belfast Telegraph
  • Sinn Fein West Belfast MLA Jennifer McCann