IRA ‘informer’ claim sparks McConville fury

THE daughter of Jean McConville, who was murdered by the IRA 34 years ago, said the group is trying to justify her death by issuing a statement claiming she was an informer to the British security forces.

An IRA statement on Saturday said it carried out an investigation which “confirmed that Jean McConville was working as an informer for the British Army”.

The statement contradicted an earlier one from the Police Ombudsman in the North, Nuala O’Loan, who said Jean McConville was not an informant.

“As part of our investigation we have looked very extensively at all the intelligence at the time,” Ms O’Loan said. “There is no evidence that Mrs McConville gave information to the police, the military or the security service. She was not an informant.”

Mrs McConville’s daughter, Helen McKendry reacted angrily to the IRA statement. “They can’t put a statement out saying they murdered an innocent woman, so this is their way of justifying what they did,” she said.

Politicians both side of the Border also reacted angrily to the IRA statement.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell called on Sinn Féin to say whether the murder was a crime.

The SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the IRA’s record for investigating informers was hardly credible.