Unionists furious at human rights award

Unionists have reacted with anger to the decision by the European Court of Human Rights to award stg£10,000 to the families of IRA men shot dead by the RUC and British soldiers.

UUP leader David Trimble described the ruling as "astonishing".

He said that he would like time to study the judgement, but said that given the circumstances of the Loughgall incident in which it is claimed the IRA opened fire first, there is no "cause for criticism".

The DUP's Ian Paisley Jr said the ruling was "one of the most stupid and bizarre ever to come out of Europe. It ranks along with the throwing out of bent bananas."