2007

January 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - January 2007

Wednesday 3 January 2007
'The Disappeared': Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, appealed for anyone with information about 'the Disappeared' to "now bring it forward". He added: "I want to make 2007 the year this matter is finally resolved for these families".

Thursday 4 January 2007
'The Disappeared': Sean Brady, then Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, disclosed that he had received the request for assistance from the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains. Brady said that the Catholic Church had agreed to help in a fresh appeal for information on the location of bodies of people killed and secretly buried by the IRA. The appeal would begin in the archdiocese of Armagh on Sunday 7 January 2007 and in other dioceses later in January.

Sunday 7 January 2007
'The Disappeared': Catholic churches in the archdiocese of Armagh made an appeal for information on the whereabouts of 'the Disappeared'. The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains had appealed to Sean Brady, then Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, on 4 January 2007. The appeal was published on church notice boards and parish bulletins.

Thursday 11 January 2007
Plastic Bullets: In remarks made during an interview with the Press Association Hugh Orde, then Chief Constable of the PSNI, said he did not want his officers to have to use plastic bullets again. Orde also acknowledged that some of the 14 people killed by plastic bullets and rubber bullets during the conflict were innocent.

Friday 12 January 2007
Cost of Inquiries: Hugh Orde, then Chief Constable of the PSNI, criticised the way in which the past was being dealt with in Northern Ireland as a "huge money-sucking venture". Orde said he believed £18.5 million had been spent to date on inquiries into the killings of Rosemary Nelson, Billy Wright, and Robert Hamill, however, there had not been a day's hearing in any of the cases. Orde said that the Historical Enquiries Team (HET), which was set up to investigate killings carried out during the conflict, was another way to deal with the past and that the HET had been "getting positive feedback from families".

Monday 15 January 2007
Victims' Commissioner Inquiry: Lord Justice Girvan, then a High Court judge, decided not to quash the appointment of Bertha McDougall as the Interim Victims' Commission and so allowed for the publication of her annual report. The judge stated again that the appointment was improper.

Wednesday 17 January 2007
Omagh Bomb Trial: After 56 days the trial ended of the only person charged with offences related to the Omagh bombing on 15 August 1998. Sean Hoey (37) had denied a total of 56 charges, including 29 counts of murder. The judge reserved judgement and said he would give his verdict in the case as soon as possible.
Reavey Killings: David Cox, then Historical Enquiries Team Director, gave an apology to the family of the three Reavey brothers, killed by the UVF on 4 January 1976, for the way in which the family were treated by some members of the security forces. A surviving brother, Eugene Reavey, said that after the killings there had been a "whispering campaign" that his brothers were in the IRA and that no-one from the authorities had ever talked to his mother about the incident.

Monday 22 January 2007
Collusion: Nuala O'Loan, then Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland, published a report which concluded that police officers had colluded with Loyalist paramilitaries in over a dozen killings. The report outlined how Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) members committed murders and other serious crimes while acting as informers for Special Branch. Loyalists were provided with immunity from prosecution and even 'baby-sat' during police interviews to help them avoid incriminating themselves. In addition Special Branch officers "created false notes" and blocked searches for UVF weapons.

Wednesday 24 January 2007
Collusion: Mark Durkan, then leader of the SDLP, used parliamentary privilege to name three former heads of Special Branch who failed to cooperate with a Police Ombudsman investigation into collusion. Durkan identified them as Chris Albiston, Raymond White and Freddie Hall.
Collusion: The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) blocked an attempt by the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Sinn Fein to have a debate at the Northern Ireland Assembly on the Police Ombudsman's report on collusion.

Thursday 25 January 2007
Victims' Commissioner: Bertha McDougal, then recently retired Interim Victims Commissioner, published her report in a personal capacity following a High Court judgement on 15 January 2007. McDougal recommended that the existing Memorial Fund for victims be phased out and should be replaced by a more flexible fund, to be allocated £8m in the first year. She suggested that a fund, similar to that available to the police, should be established for Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) families. She also recommended more compensation for those bereaved before 1988 with spouses of people killed receiving an annual payment of £2,000. Relatives for Justice (RFJ) criticised the report and described the recommendation for a fund for UDR widows as "offensive". An RFJ spokesman said of the UDR:"This is a sectarian militia. It has a long history of involvement in sectarian murders and collusion."

February 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - February 2007

Thursday 1 February 2007
Collusion: Gerry Adams, then leader of Sinn Féin, led a Sinn Féin delegation which held talks with Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, at Downing Street, London. Sinn Féin raised the issue of collusion and the contents of the Police Ombudsman's report published on 22 January 2007.

Wednesday 7 February 2007
Collusion: Hugh Orde, then Chief Constable of the PSNI, gave the Policing Board his response to the allegations of collusion contained within the Police Ombudsman's report published on 22 January 2007.

Monday 19 February 2007
Collusion: Families of four victims named in a report on RUC Special Branch collusion with loyalist paramilitaries announced that they would sue the Chief Constable of the PSNI. The Police Ombudsman's report was published on 22 January 2007.

Tuesday 27 February 2007
Memorials: An attack was carried out on the Republican plot at Milltown Cemetery in west Belfast. Almost 40 graves were damaged as paint was thrown over the headstones. It was the fourth such attack on the Republican plot within six years.

March 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - March 2007

Friday 9 March 2007
Collusion: It was announced that the Police Ombudsman's office would investigate claims of collusion between members of the IRA and the security forces. Initially six incidents that spanned a 20 year period will be investigated. It has been alleged that a number of IRA members were protected from prosecution because they were working as agents for Special Branch and other agencies.

Tuesday 13 March 2007
Commemoration: The British government decided to extend eligibility for The Veteran's Badge to include people who served in the Falklands and Northern Ireland. Previously the honour was only granted to veterans of the two world wars. The badge has so far been awarded to 400,000 servicemen and women.

Friday 16 March 2007
Memorials: In responding to a complaint the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland decided that Omagh District Council breached its own equality scheme by not taking action about an unauthorised republican memorial. The complaint related to the memorial to IRA hunger strikers in the Old Dromore Church grounds and graveyard in Dromore. The Commission decided that the political nature of the memorial may mark the area as republican. The Commission also raised a concern about the proposed sale of the land by the council to Dromore Memorial Committee. Omagh District Council subsequently decided that an equality impact assessment should be made of the proposed sale.

Tuesday 20 March 2007
Collusion: The Retired Police Officers' Association (RPOA) claimed the Police Ombudsman report into collusion, which was published on 22 January 2007, was riddled with basic errors of fact and judgement. The RPOA included former Special Branch officers who were criticised by the ombudsman. [On 21 March 2007 the Police Ombudsman rejected the allegations of the RPOA.]

Wednesday 21 March 2007
Memorials: Willie Hay, then a Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillor, accused Derry City Council of breaching its own equality guidelines by allowing an Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) statue to remain in the city cemetery. Hay said the council never granted permission for the INLA memorial to be erected in 2000 and he called for its removal.

April 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - April 2007

Monday 2 April 2007
The Disappeared: The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) brought together a team of experts to try to locate the bodies of the 'disappeared'. The team, including forensic scientists and archeologists, has met with victims' relatives and former IRA members, and the group has visited sites were it is believed some of the bodies are buried. The team leader is Geoff Knupfer who said he believed this was the best chance of finding the bodies.

Saturday 14 April 2007
Victims' Group: Mark Thompson, then Director of 'Relatives for Justice', was visited by police officers at his home and warned of a significant and substantial threat to his life. [Thompson later said he believed the threat came from the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and he was taking it very seriously. Thompson thought it could be connected to recent work his group was undertaking with unionist families.]

Monday 16 April 2007
Victim / Investigation: Nuala O'Loan, then Police Ombudsman, outlined the results of an investigation into the killing of Paul Whitters (15) by an Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer in April 1981. Whitters, who had been throwing stones, was shot in the head with a plastic bullet on 15 April 1981 and died 10 days later on 25 April 1981. O'Loan stated that the officer involved in firing the plastic bullet had refused to speak to investigators from the Police Ombudsman's office. O'Loan concluded that the RUC had failed to properly investigate the killing. She further concluded that the firing of the baton round was wrong and unjustifiable, that no warning was given, and it was fired at less than the permissible range of 20 metres.

Sunday 22 April 2007
Monuments: Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), proposed, during an address at the annual Fianna Fail Arbour Hill commemoration, that a monument should be built to "commemorate the extraordinary achievement of peace". Ahern said that if his party was returned to government it would commission an international competition to design and construct the monument which would be located in the border region. Ahern pledged that his party would give five million euro to the project.

May 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - May 2007

Thursday 3 May 2007
Paramilitaries: The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) declared that it was renouncing violence and would cease to exist as a paramilitary organisation from midnight 3 May 2007. The UVF also said it would keep its weapons, but has put them "beyond reach".

Wednesday 9 May 2007
Inquiries: The Superintendents' Association Northern Ireland criticised the use of Inquiries as a means for dealing with the past. Stephen Grange, then President of the Superintendents' Association, said there was currently a hierarchy of victims based on political pressure. He said that Inquiries and investigative teams which had been established to re-examine killings and wrongdoing had put a disproportionate focus on police actions.
The Disappeared: Vera McVeigh, the mother of Columba McVeigh one of 'the Disappeared', died at the age of 82. Vera McVeigh had campaigned for the return of her son's body.

Thursday 10 May 2007
Memorial Service: Derek Twigg, then a British Defence Minister, announced that a service of remembrance would be held during 2008 for members of the armed forces killed during the conflict in Northern Ireland. The event is planned to commemorate the 763 service personnel killed during 'the Troubles' as well as civilians and contractors killed while working for the Ministry of Defence.

Friday 11 May 2007
Story Telling: Cahal McLaughlin, then a Media Studies lecturer at the University of Ulster, received £47,000 in lottery funding to record the experiences of staff and inmates of prisons during the Troubles. The aim of the project was to create an archive of memories, stories and experiences for future generations to learn from. Initially the project focused on the Maze Prison with ex-prisoners, prison officers, doctors, teachers and visitors being filmed as they recounted their experiences. It was planned for other prisons to be covered by the research.

Wednesday 16 May 2007
Victims' Group: Alan McBride, then a member of WAVE trauma centre, criticised a web-based computer game inspired by the activities of paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. The virtual game, The Hooded Gunman, allows players to register as republicans or loyalists, and the aim is to collect as much money as possible by creating a paramilitary empire built on drug dealing, prostitution, counterfeiting and killing your enemies. Players also have to avoid police officers who can offer them bonuses for becoming informers. McBride said: "It does attempt to glorify it (violence) in some senses and it is absolutely appalling,". Derek Hussey, then a Ulster Unionist Party MLA, said it was "tasteless and insensitive".

Tuesday 29 May 2007
Bloody Sunday: General Sir Mike Jackson, a former head of the British Army, said he believed that innocent people were shot by the army on Bloody Sunday 30 January 1972. He was interviewed for BBC Northern Ireland's Spotlight programme during which he said: "I have no doubt that innocent people were shot".

June 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - June 2007

Monday 4 June 2007
Bloody Sunday: Maurice Hayes, then an independent member of the Senate in the Republic of Ireland and a former Northern Ireland Ombudsman, gave a lecture which was part of the Tip O’Neill Peace Lecture series at the University of Ulster’s Magee campus. In his speech Hayes criticised the high cost of the Saville Inquiry into the events of Bloody Sunday and said the Inquiry was unlikely to "unearth the essential truth, the definitive account of the events on Bloody Sunday".

Tuesday 19 June 2007
The Disappeared: The BBC current affairs programme Spotlight dealt with the killing of Captain Nairac, an SAS trained officer, who was shot dead in Ravensdale, County Louth , in the early hours of 15 May 1977. His body has never been recovered and he remains on the list of 'the Disappeared'.

Thursday 21 June 2007
Day of Reflection: Healing Through Remembering, a cross-community group looking at the issue of dealing with the past, organised a 'Day of Reflection' to remember the victims of the Northern Ireland conflict. People in the region were asked to spend some time in private thought. The organisation believes that 21 June (mid-summer's day) could become an official date to publicly mark the conflict.
The Disappeared: Dean Pittman, then the US Consul General in Belfast, held a reception for the families of the Disappeared (people abducted and killed by the IRA and buried in unmarked graves). At the gathering doves representing each of the Disappeared were released.
Victims' Group: Representatives of the victims' group FAIR (Families Acting for Innocent Relatives) met with senior Garda officers in Dublin to discuss plans for another 'Love Ulster Rally' in the city. The first rally in 2006 was abandoned after violence broke out in the centre of Dublin. The rallies are staged to remember the victims of republican violence.

Friday 22 June 2007
Dealing With the Past: Peter Hain, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Wales, announced the establishment of 'an independent consultative group' to find the best way to deal with the legacy of the conflict. The group will be co-chaired by Denis Bradley, who was vice-chairman of the Policing Board, and Lord Eames, the former Archbishop of Armagh. The group includes Jarlath Burns, former GAA captain of Armagh, Rev Lesley Carroll, then a Presbyterian minister, and Willie John McBride, former rugby player. The other members are James Mackey, former lecturer in philosophy at Queen's University Belfast, Elaine Moore, then alcohol and drugs counsellor, and David Porter, then Director of the Centre for Contemporary Christianity in Ireland . Martti Ahtisaari, a former Decommissioning commissioner, and Brian Currin, then South African lawyer, have agreed to act as international advisers to the panel. Peter Hain said the government could not tell the people of Northern Ireland how they should deal with the past and added that "Only the people themselves can try to answer that question".

Monday 25 June 2007
Finucane Controversy: The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) announced that no police officers nor any British soldiers would be charged in connection with the killing of Pat Finucane on 12 February 1989. The PPS said some of the difficulties in bringing charges included absence of records and the death of potential witnesses. The decision was criticised by Nationalist politicians and the family of Pat Finucane.
Police Ombudsman: It was announced that Al Hutchinson would succeed Nula O'Loan as Police Ombudsmand later in the year. Hutchinson had been the Oversight Commissioner for police reforms. The announcement was broadly welcomed by both unionist and nationalist politicians.

Friday 29 June 2007
Victims Compensation: At the High Court in Belfast Mr Justice Coghlin ruled that former members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) could claim compensation for emotional and psychological damage as a result of their duties for the period from 1986 onwards. Approximately 5,000 police officers were believed to be considering action against the Chief Constable. The case was the largest group action ever taken in the United Kingdom and the hearing lasted 102 days, a record for Northern Ireland. [Decisions on 10 test cases were given on 3 July 2007.]

July 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - July 2007

Tuesday 3 July 2007
Victims Compensation: The High Court in Belfast rejected claims for compensation in 10 test cases brought by former members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). (See also: 29 June 2007)

Wednesday 4 July 2007
Legacy: A report by Mike Tomlinson of Queen's University, published by the Department of Health, argued that the high rate of suicide in Northern Ireland was a legacy of the conflict in the region. About 150 suicides were recorded annually between 2000 and 2004, but this figure had risen to 291 by 2006.

Monday 9 July 2007
Irish Victims' Commissioner: John Wilson (84), Former Irish deputy prime minister and Victims' Commissioner, died. In June 1998 he had been appointed as the Victims' Commissioner in the Republic of Ireland. In May 1999 he had been appointed as a member of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (of 'the Disappeared').

Friday 20 July 2007
Police Ombudsman: It was announced that Nuala O'Loan, then Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman, is to consider whether there are any grounds for opening a new investigation into those state killings that were alleged to be part of a 'shoot-to-kill' policy.

Wednesday 25 July 2007
Victims' Commissioner Inquiry: The conclusion of a report of an Inquiry carried out by Peter Scott, then a senior Queen's Council (QC), was made public. Scott had been appointed by Lord Goldsmith, then Attorney General, to investigate whether Peter Hain, the then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, misled the High Court over the appointment of the Interim Victims' Commissioner. Scott found that there was no intention to mislead or obstruct the courts and he found no evidence that would warrant a police investigation. However, the report highlighted serious shortcomings in the government's handling of a Freedom of Information request associated with the matter of the appointment. (See also: 4 December 2006)
Maze Site: Shaun Woodward, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, answered questions on Northern Ireland matters in the House of Commons. In response to a question from Sammy Wilson, then DUP MP, he said that the proposed conflict transformation centre at the Maze Prison would not become a "terrorist shrine".

Monday 30 July 2007
Omagh Bomb Case: It was announced that Gardai who investigated the Omagh bomb will not testify in person when the civil compensation case brought by some of the victims' relatives comes to court. Gardai have been advised the evidence could jeopardise the criminal investigation into the attack.

Tuesday 31 July 2007
End of Operation Banner: Operation Banner', which was the name given to the British Army's support role for the police in Northern Ireland, came to an end at midnight after 38 years. During the deployment approximately 300,000 army personnel were deployed in the region. A garrison of 5,000 troops are to remain in Northern Ireland. The British army's operation in Northern Ireland came to an end at midnight on Tuesday after 38 years. Approximately 500 members of the British Army were killed during the conflict and approximately 200 members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR; the locally recruited regiment of the British Army). The British Army and UDR were responsible for the deaths of over 300 people.

August 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - August 2007

Tuesday 7 August 2007
Collusion: Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, called on the British government to acknowledge the 'truth' about collusion between the security forces and loyalist paramilitaries. Adams was speaking at an event launching a black ribbon for truth campaign attended by a number of victims.

Sunday 12 August 2007
Collusion: A 'March for Truth' and rally was held outside Belfast City Hall as part of a campaign to press the British government to acknowledge the 'truth' about collusion between the security forces and loyalist paramilitaries. Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin, addressed the rally [Text of speech; PDF; 101KB].

Monday 13 August 2007
Memorials: The parents of Thomas Devlin (15), who was killed on 10 August 2005, criticised Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), for providing funding from his office to loyalists on the Mount Vernon estate in Belfast. Ahern donated £2,700 towards the cost of building a memorial on the estate to soldiers who died in the two world wars.

Saturday 18 August 2007
Support: It was reported that a young man who had a leg amputated following a paramilitary 'punishment' shooting was denied disability benefit because his artificial leg made him too mobile to be eligible.

Friday 24 August 2007
Legacy: The Consultative Group on the Past (CGP) announced the start of its public engagement exercise. [The period of engagement was extended and ended on 25 January 2008.]

Sunday 26 August 2007
'Punishment' Attack: It was reported that a man had been subject to a 'tarring and feathering' 'punishment' attack in south Belfast. [It was claimed that the attack was carried out by members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) but a representative of the UPRG denied the claims.]

Monday 27 August 2007
Historical Enquiries Team (HET): Dave Cox, then head of the Historical Enquiries Team (HET), accused the British government of failing to honour a pledge to provide £32m over six years for the HET. Cox said that £4m funding for the HET for the previous year had come from the policing budget.

Tuesday 28 August 2007
Historical Enquiries Team (HET): The son of Benny Moane, a Catholic civilian, abducted and killed by members of the UDA at Knockagh War Memorial, near Greenisland, County Antrim, said that the re-investigation carried out by the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) had helped his family understand more about his father's death.

Friday 31 August 2007
Victim: The British government apologised to the family of Daniel Hegarty (15) who was shot dead by British soldiers in Derry on 31 July 1972. Hegarty was wrongly labelled a 'terrorist' in a report prepared by the Ministry of Defence entitled 'Operation Banner: An Analysis of Military Operations in Northern Ireland'. although the report was initially publicly available at the MOD web site it was subsequently withdrawn.

September 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - September 2007

Monday 3 September 2007
Collusion: Belfast City Council passed a resolution by 15 votes to 14 'deploring' the 'March for Truth' held in Belfast on 12 August 2007. Nelson McCausland (DUP) complained that the march and rally featured replica weapons and bands named after leading IRA members. Alex Maskey (SF) said that the march involved street theatre involving depictions of various combatants.

Wednesday 5 September 2007
Legacy: A report based on a survey of mental health needs in Whiterock, west Belfast, was published. The report found that the legacy of the conflict was one of the root causes of trauma in the area. See report: Connolly, David. (2007). [PDF; 2188KB]

Tuesday 18 September 2007
Memorials: The winning design was unveiled in the competition to design a memorial to the victims of the Omagh bombing. The winning design was produced by a Dublin team, artist Sean Hillen and architect Desmond Fitzgerald, and its theme was 'Constant Light'.

Wednesday 19 September 2007
Victim: Nuala O'Loan, then Police Ombudsman, said that threats against Rosemary Nelson, killed by loyalist paramilitaries on 15 March 1999, were not properly handled by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). See statement: PONI. (2007). 'Police Failed Rosemary Nelson'.

Thursday 27 September 2007
Victims Commissioner: A Stormont Assembly Committee which scrutinises the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) asked the Office holders why there had been no appointment of a Victims' Commissioner despite candidates having been interviews several months earlier.

October 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - October 2007

Monday 1 October 2007
Memorials: The Northern Ireland Fire Service reported that, following a complaint, it had removed from Enniskillen fire station a montage of photographs of the victims of the Enniskillen bombing in 1987 together with a photograph of the Enniskillen cenotaph. The fire service statement said the move was made "to maintain an inclusive working environment for all".
Memorials: Unionist members of Craigavon District Council voted to allow a memorial seat to be placed at the graveside of Mark Fulton a former leader of the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) who died in 2002. The decision was criticised by Dolores Kelly, then SDLP councillor, as "an obscenity".

Thursday 4 October 2007
'The Disappeared': The actor James Nesbitt, then a patron of WAVE, appealed for those with information to help in the location of the remains of 'the Disappeared'. Nesbitt was speaking prior to a fundraising event held at Hillsborough Castle.

Monday 8 October 2007
Victims' Commissioner: It was announced by the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) that the post of victims' commissioner would be re-advertised.The post had been advertised in January 2007, 13 people interviewed in March 2007, the shortlist was available to the OFMDFM from 8 May 2007, however no one was appointed.
Victims: Paula McCartney, sister of Robert McCartney, who was killed on 30 January 2005, said she was considering living outside Northern Ireland for a while.

Tuesday 9 October 2007
'Shoot-To-Kill': John Leckey, then Coroner, was due to begin a preliminary hearing into six controversial killiings that formed the basis for an alleged police 'shoot-to-kill' police in 1982.

Thursday 11 October 2007
Victims' Groups: Willie Frazer, the Director of Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR), held a meeting with Dermot Ahern, then Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, in Dundalk, Republic of Ireland. The meeting was brokered by Jeffery Donaldson, then DUP MP. Following the meeting Frazer said he did not think any more requests would be made to hold another 'Love Ulster' rally in Dublin.

Wednesday 17 October 2007
Victims: Nuala O'Loan, the Police Ombudsman, said that an investigation by her office had concluded that the RUC did not have information that could have prevented the killing of eight people in Greesteel, County Derry, on 30 October 1993. The investigation was carried out following a complaint from John Dallat, then SDLP MLA, that information he gave to RUC detectives had not been acted upon.

Saturday 20 October 2007
Victim: Paul Quinn (21) died from his injuries follow a severe beating at farm buildings at Tullycoora near Oram in County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland. [His family claimed that the IRA had been involved in his killing following a dispute between Quinn and local IRA members. On 12 November 2007 John Grieve, an IMC member, said: "we do believe that those involved ... included people who are members or former members, or have associations with members or former members, of the Provisional IRA."]
Victims' Groups: A spokesperson for Martin McGuinness, then Deputy First Minister, stated that he had agreed to meet a delegation of bereaved relatives led by Willie Frazer, then Director of Families Acting for Innocent Relatives (FAIR).

Tuesday 23 October 2007
Legacy: Basil McCrea, UUP MLA and member of the Policing Board, stated that former and current police officers were claiming almost £60m in compensation for hearing loss suffered during the conflict. Memorials: It was announced that the gates at the cenotaph at the Diamond in Derry would be unlocked during the month of November. The gates are routinely locked to prevent damage from vandals.

Friday 26 October 2007
Victim: The inquest into the killing of Eamon Collins on 27 January 1999 by Republican paramilitaries heard evidence of the injuries inflicted on him. John Leckey, then Coroner, and Jack Crane, then State Pathologist, said it was one of the most brutal and horrific killings they had dealt with.

Tuesday 30 October 2007
Collusion: Nuala O'Loan, the Police Ombudsman, said there was no evidence of collusion in the killing of Gerard Cairns (22) and Rory Cairns (18), two Catholic brothers, on 28 October 1993. It is believed they were killed by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), but the Cairns family claimed there had been security force collusion in the attack.

Wednesday 31 October 2007
Legacy: The Consultative Group on the Past (CGP) announced that it was extending the deadline for the public consultation to Friday 25 January 2008. The CGP also announced that there would be a series of public meetings across Northern Ireland.
Victims' Groups: The Warrington based victims' charity 'Foundation for Peace' held a debate at Canary Wharf in London which was addressed by Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin. At the event Adams apologised to Colin and Wend Parry the parents of Tim Parry who was killed by the IRA in a bomb attack in Warrington on 20 March 1993.

November 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - November 2007

Friday 2 November 2007
The Disappeared: Relatives of 'the Disappeared' held a march to Stormont. Fr Aidan Troy accompanied those taking part in an event designed to keep the issue in the public mind.

Monday 5 November 2007
Legacy: Lord Eames and Denis Bradley of the Consultative Group on the Past (CGP) met with families of those killed in the Dublin and Monaghan Bombings on 17 May 1974. They also met Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), and Fachtna Murphy, then Garda deputy commissioner.

Tuesday 6 November 2007
Police Ombudsman: Al Hutchinson replaced Nuala O'Loan as the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. Hutchinson was the former Police Oversight Commissioner. O'Loan had served seven years in the post.

Tuesday 20 November 2007
Government Funding: It was revealed that the British government had spent £5m in the last financial year to help victims' groups in Northern Ireland.

Wednesday 21 November 2007
Memorial: The Irish government provided funding of £60,000 towards scholarships named after Michael McIlveen who was killed in a sectarian attack on 8 May 2006. The scholarships are part of a peace and reconciliation initiative called 'New Day' which operates in Ballymena, County Antrim.

Tuesday 27 November 2007
Collusion: The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that alleged security force collusion in the killing by Loyalists of eight men in south Armagh in the 1970s was not properly investigated. John Weir, a former RUC officer, made claims of collusion in a television program. The RUC carried out an investigation but did not interview Weir.

December 2007
See also: Calendar of victims-related media material - December 2007

Tuesday 4 December 2007
'Shoot-to-Kill': John Leckey, then Chief Coroner, announced that Hugh Orde, then Chief Constable of the PSNI, had granted him access to the confidential reports written by John Stevens and Colin Sampson. Leckey was conducting an inquest into the shooting dead of seven people by the RUC which it was claimed was operating a 'shoot-to-kill' policy at the time.

Wednesday 5 December 2007
Legacy: It was announced that government funding of £2m per year would finance a service to help more than 60,000 ex-members of the UDR and the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) deal with the legacy of the conflict. [During the conflict 271 locally recruited soldiers were killed and more than 600 received injuries that left them physically disabled.]

Thursday 6 December 2007
Memorials: There was a memorial event in Ballykelly, County Derry, to mark the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Droppin' Well pub in the village on 6 December 1982 when 17 people, including 11 soldiers, were killed and dozens injured.

Monday 10 December 2007
Memorials: A memorial to the members of the Miami Showband killed by Loyalist paramilitaries on 31 July 1975 was unveiled in Dublin. Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), unveiled the monument outside the National Ballroom in Parnell Square North during a lunchtime ceremony.

Sunday 16 December 2007
'Punishment' Attack: Six men wearing balaclavas carried out a paramilitary-style 'punishment' beating, with an iron bar, on a teenager in the Braniel area of Castlereagh, east Belfast. [It was not clear if Loyalist paramilitaries were responsible.]

Thursday 20 December 2007
Omagh Bomb Trial: Sean Hoey was found not guilty at Belfast Crown Court of murder charges related to the Omagh bombing on 15 August 1998. The judge, Mr Justice Weir, said that police who provided evidence in the case were guilty of a "deliberate and calculated deception".

Notes

Information contained within square brackets [   ] may contain commentary or information that only became publicly available at a later date. Any piece of information which is followed by a question mark in parenthesis (?) is a best estimate while awaiting an update.

See also:
The main CAIN chronology of the conflict
The Sutton Index of Deaths 1969-2001