April 18, 2003
A week after the death of Brian Nelson, the British spy whose activities were at the heart of the inquiry into collusion between the British intelligence services and loyalist paramilitaries, Metropolitan Police Commissioner John Stevens finally published his long-awaited report.
North Belfast was one of the areas most affected by the murder campaign unleashed by British Nelson and his military and Special Branch backers which has continued to claim lives to this day.
Today we publish the names and some of the photographs of the victims of that campaign of murder which reached new highs after Nelson, MI5 and the RUC’s Special Branch re-armed the loyalist death squads in January 1988.
1988
January 15: Billy Kane 19 was shot dead by the UVF in his home in Upper Meadow Street. His father Edward Kane had been killed in McGurk’s Bar in 1971.
May 10: Terry McDaid 29 was shot dead in his home by the UFF. His details had been handed over to Brian Nelson by a corporal in the Scots Guards and a UDR woman, who were later convicted of passing on documents to the UDA.
May 15: Three men were shot dead in the Avenue Bar in Union Street by the UVF using a rifle imported from South Africa by Brian Nelson. They were father of three 27-year-old Stephen McGahan, Damien Devlin 24 from Ladybrook Gardens and 27-year-old Paul McBride from Havana Court in Ardoyne.
June 12: William Totten a 46-year-old Catholic was shot dead by the UVF outside a friend’s house on the Cavehill Road.
August 8: 18-year-old Seamus Morris from Highbury Gardens Ardoyne and 25-year-old Peter Dolan from Andersonstown were shot dead by a UVF gang using the Nelson rifles in Etna Drive.
August 18: Michael Laverty a 32-year-old married man with two children was shot dead by UVF gunmen as he was working in a house in Rosapenna Drive. The rifle was again from the Nelson arms shipment.
1989
February 12: Pat Finucane was shot dead at his home in Fortwilliam Drive by the UFF.
March 19: David Braniff was murdered by the UVF at his Alliance Avenue home
August 2: Patrick McKenna 40, was shot dead by the UVF as he walked on the Crumlin Road. His killer UVF man Brian Robinson was shot dead by an undercover British army unit minutes later.
1990
April 25: Brian McKimm a 23-year-old married man with three children was shot dead near his home in Ligoniel. A Protestant married to a Catholic he was shot dead by the UVF who believed he was a Catholic.
16 October: Dermot McGuinness, 41 years-old, was shot dead by the UFF as he walked along Rosapenna Street.
November 7: Twenty-one year-old, Gary Campbell, killed when a UFF gang burst into his Spamount Street home.
November 29: Raymond Robinson, 39 years-old, was shot dead by loyalists as he opened a glazier shop on Duncairn Gardens.
1991
January 27: Forty-four-year-old Sean Rafferty from Rosapenna Court was shot dead by the UFF at his home on January 27 1991.
24 February: Peter McTasney a 26-year-old man from Bawnmore was shot dead in his home by the UVF.
April 3: Samuel Bell, 54 years-old, a North Belfast taximan, was found shot dead in his car in the Glencairn Estate.
August 31: Francis Crawford, 57 years-old. UFF gunmen shot him dead in Vicinage Park after luring him to a bogus call from a Chinese take-away on the Antrim.
September 3: Thirty-one-year-old Kevin Flood was shot dead in his taxi at Ligoniel by the UVF.
October 10: Fifty-two year-old Hugh Magee was shot dead in his taxi at Rosapenna Street. He was married with one child.
1992
February 2: Pádraig O Cléirigh, 53 years-old, was murdered by loyalists at his home in Rosemount Gardens. He was one of seven black-taxi drivers to be killed during the troubles and was a well-known Irish language activist.
March 12: Thirty-two year-old, Liam McCartan, was shot dead by UFF gunmen at his Alliance Avenue home.
April 29: IPLO man Conor Maguire was shot dead by the UVF as he worked at the Ligoniel Community Association.
September 27: Gerard O’Hara, an 18-year-old schoolboy was shot dead at his North Queen Street home by the UFF.
November 14: Three men were killed by the UFF in a gun attack on Murray’s bookmakers’ shop on the Oldpark Road. They were 62-year-old Francis Burns from Manor Street, 50-year-old Peter Orderly from Glenview Street and 72-year-old John Lovett from Rosapenna St.
December 20: Martin Lavery a 40-year-old married man with a family was murdered in his family home by the UVF as he was wrapping Christmas presents.
1993
January 17: Twenty seven year old Sharon McKenna was shot dead by two UVF gunmen at the home of a family friend on the Shore Road.
May 1: Alan Lundy, a father of five was shot dead by the UFF as he worked on the home of Sinn Féin councillor Alex Maskey.
August 8: Sean Lavery, a 21-year-old student was shot dead at his family home on Antrim Road.
August 30: A 48-year-old mother of four, Marie-Teresa Dowds, was murdered in her home by a UFF gang. Her husband complained that harassment by the RUC for traffic offences had led loyalists to his door.
October 15: Paddy McMahon, a 23-year-old father of one, was shot dead at Newington Avenue by the UFF.
October 25: Sean Fox, a 72-year-old grandfather was shot and tortured by the UFF at his home in Harmin Park, Glengormley.
December 5: Brian Duffy, a 15-year-old schoolboy was shot dead by the UFF at a taxi-depot in Ligoniel. Robert John Todd, a 31-year-old taxi driver was also killed in the attack.
1994
April 26: Joe McCloskey, a 56-year-old father of six was shot dead by the UFF in the front-room of his Lepper Street home.
April 28: James Brown, a shopkeeper and 48-year-old father of three, was shot dead at his newsagent’s in Garmoyle Street.
May 12: Martin Bradley, a 23-year-old single man was shot dead by UFF gunmen at his aunt’s home on the Crumlin Road.
May 17: Eamon Fox, a 44 year-old construction worker, and 24-year-old Gary Convie were shot dead by the UFF as they ate lunch in his car at North Queen Street.
June 16: Thirty three-year-old married man Brendan McCreesh from Greencastle was accidentally killed handling a weapon he had been issued with for his own protection following threats to his life.
September 1: John O’Hanlon, a 32-year-old father of one was shot dead by a UFF gang on Skegoniel Avenue.
1997
December 5: Gerry Devlin, the manager of St Enda’s GAC’s senior football team was shot dead by an LVF gang at the gates of club.
December 31: Eddie Treanor a 31-year-old Catholic from North Belfast was shot dead during a UFF gun attack on the Clifton Tavern.
1998
January 23: Liam Conway, a 39- year-old man was shot dead by loyalists as he worked at Hesketh Road near Glenbryn
October 31: Brian Service a 35-year-old construction worker was shot dead by a UFF gunman as he walked home along Alliance Ave.
2000
December 6: 30-year-old Gary Moore was shot dead in Monkstown by the UFF as he worked on a building site
2001
July 29: Teenager Gavin Brett was shot dead by the UFF as he talked to friends on the Hightown
2002
January 12: Twenty-year-old father of one Danny McColgan was shot dead by the UFF outside Rathcoole postal sorting office.
July 21: Nineteen-year-old Gerard Lawlor was shot dead as he walked home along the Whitewell Road after a night out.
