Complaint to be made over attack by loyalists
Kevin McDaid, 49, died after a loyalist gang attacked Catholics in the Somerset Drive area of Coleraine, Co Derry, when violence flared after Rangers beat Celtic to the Scottish Premier League title on Sunday.
Mr McDaid’s family has lodged a complaint with the Police Ombudsman claiming officers in negotiations with loyalists prior to the attack were warned there would be violence if loyalist demands on the day were not met. But despite that, the family has said police failed to protect the people who were later targeted.
And while the Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Hugh Orde has already referred the case to the Ombudsman, the McDaid family has claimed the Catholic community was not given adequate protection.
Six men were charged on Thursday with Mr McDaid’s murder during a series of court appearances at Ballymena. The suspects denied the charge.
They, and another two men, also denied the attempted murder of Damien Fleming, 46, who was critically injured in the attack.
Yesterday the McDaid family issued a statement which said: “The family do seek to make a formal complaint to the Police Ombudsman.
“We are appreciative that of his own volition the Chief Constable has already referred this matter to the Police Ombudsman for investigation.
“Kevin’s murder should not have occurred and these tragic circumstances surrounding his murder and the attack on Damien Fleming need not have occurred.”
The PSNI has defended the handling of events on Sunday, but said it could not comment further since the issues were being examined by the Ombudsman.
Officers have said they were involved in talks with members of the Catholic and Protestant communities in Coleraine on Sunday in an attempt to defuse tensions before violence flared.
But yesterday Mr McDaid’s relatives said: “The family is concerned that the PSNI were involved in negotiations with a number of persons perceived to be from the loyalist community on Sunday, May 24.
“There are concerns regarding the nature of these negotiations and the attendant risk that threats were made by individuals from this background to police that unless certain conditions were met or adhered to there was a risk of violence. It is a fundamental tenet of society that individuals such as these should not bear undue influence and dictate the terms of law and order.
“We are further concerned that given the knowledge of the threat, we and our neighbours were not properly protected.
“We want the community to support the police, but police must also support the community. In the aftermath of this heinous murder and given the fragility of Mr Fleming’s condition, tensions are extremely high. A further death threat has also been served on our family.”
Meanwhile, police questioned another man yesterday. The 33-year-old is one of two men arrested on Thursday in connection with Sunday’s killing.
