We say: Nelson death
Andersontown News, www.irelandclick.com
April 14, 2003
The famous Belfast gallows humour kicked in when UDA quarter master and British Army tout William Stobie was murdered in December 2001. It was said that in the pubs and clubs of West Belfast at least a dozen punters were waiting on Brian Nelson for a double.
The idea that Nelson would meet an early death shortly before the publication of the Stevens Report is a bleak joke no more. It is said that the British Army double agent died from natural causes – all sorts of ailments have been alleged in all sorts of media reports. Given our experience at the hands of the British and their notorious dirty tricks machinery, we are entitled to look at this death with deep suspicion. If such a thing had happened in Saddam Hussein’s Baghdad, no doubt the British would have been the first to raise a chorus of protest.
The victims’ group Relatives for Justice have recommended that the Nelson family seek an independent autopsy, and that should be a priority for them. If one does take place, we will await the results with interest.
Meanwhile, regardless of who or what killed Brian Nelson, countless individuals within the huge and sprawling British intelligence apparatus will have breathed huge sighs of relief over the weekend. The man who knew where the bodies are buried is no longer alive to tell his story and – crucially – no longer able to defend himself should the blame for the more infamous cases of British collusion with loyalists be heaped on his head and his head alone, as many suspect that it may be.
William Stobie and Brian Nelson are dead within 18 months of each other. With them in the grave lie countless dark and sinister stories of the ruthlessness with which the British prosecuted their campaign against the IRA.