Loyalist terror group vows to step up killings

Renegade loyalists tonight vowed to step up their sectarian murder campaign after gunning down a Protestant teenager on the outskirts of north Belfast.

In a chilling statement, the Red Hand Defenders, a deadly splinter grouping opposed to the peace process, admitted shooting Gavin Brett as he stood near a Gaelic Football club with a group of youths.

One of his friends, a young Catholic man, had his ankle shattered as the gunmen fired randomly into the crowd.

The grouping, a cover name for the Ulster Defence Association and Loyalist Volunteer Force, warned: ‘‘Our campaign will increase in ferocity in the coming weeks, months and days because of the existing denial of civil rights for Protestants.’’

Grieving relatives today disclosed how Gavin’s father battled desperately to save his dying son.

Michael Brett ran to the scene minutes after the youth and his friend Michael Farrell were hit by automatic gunfire near their home in Glengormley, Co Antrim.

The dead youth’s uncle, Peter Brett, said: ‘‘Michael rushed in and gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation because he’s a paramedic but it was no use.’’

The killing followed weeks of fierce sectarian rioting between rival factions along north Belfast’s peacelines which erupted into gun and blast bomb attacks on police lines at the weekend.

And more than 140 Catholic homes in predominantly Protestant towns across the province have been targeted by loyalist pipe bombs.

RUC Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan has blamed loyalist ‘‘cowards’’ for the latest atrocity, which saw sectarian violence in the province hit dangerous new levels.

A loyalist source said tonight he was in little doubt the UDA was behind the shooting, adding that in some areas the main loyalist paramilitary group had effectively merged with the LVF.

He said: ‘‘They are going back to their old ways of killing a Catholic, that’s always been the easiest solution from a loyalist point of view.’’

At the start of the month the Red Hand Defenders admitted killing Antrim teenager Ciaran Cummings as he walked to work.

Days later their gunmen opened fire on a Catholic community centre in north Belfast as terrified children cowered inside.

The loyalists then warned all nationalist people were now ‘‘legitimate targets’’.

The dead teenager’s father is a senior paramedic flown by helicopter into Omagh following the 1998 Real IRA bomb atrocity which killed 29 people and injured hundreds more.

But his frantic efforts to save his 18-year-old son were in vain.

Mr Brett and his wife Phyllis were today trying to comfort their other children, Tara, 17, and 10-year-old Philip.

‘‘They are just devastated,’’ said the murdered teenager’s uncle.

‘‘I would gladly give my life for my daughter and that’s what my brother’s thinking right now.’’

He added: ‘‘Michael has helped countless people throughout the troubles regardless of who they are and regardless of what creed they are.’’

Floral tributes were placed at the side of the road where the killers struck.

It later emerged that police had been at the scene just minutes before the shooting occurred.

The other injured youth plays for north Belfast Irish League soccer club Cliftonville FC.

He was taken to hospital, where his condition was described as stable.

Stunned teenagers in the Hollybrook estate where Gavin lived were struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.

Paul Wilson, 16, described how he ran to the murder scene when he heard gunfire after walking his girlfriend home.

‘‘I came running down and Gavin and Michael were just lying there,’’ he said.

‘‘It took ages for the ambulance to arrive.’’

Angered at seeing his friend murdered, he added: ‘‘He never did anything, he messed about with a crowd of Catholics and there were just the two Protestants in the crowd.’’

Known to his friends as ‘‘Goon’’, Gavin was an avid Glasgow Rangers fan who had just turned 18.

After attending Glengormley High School, he had been working in a city centre Burger King restaurant but had been preparing for a new job and contemplating further education.

Another shocked 16-year-old, Sean Derry, described the dead teenager as his ‘‘best mate’’.

He said: ‘‘I heard three gunshots and rushed out. Someone said ‘Gavin’s dead’ and I just started crying.’’

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams blamed the UDA for the killing and called on the Government and RUC to declare its ceasefire was in tatters.

He also offered to meet the paramilitary group in a bid to end the violence which has erupted in the city over the last month.

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble expressed shock at the young man’s murder.

He said: ‘‘I call upon those with influence within loyalism to use it to bring an end to this madness.’’

The MP for the area, David Burnside (South Antrim), insisted that the only way to stop the violence descending into open community warfare was to put army personnel on every street corner.

‘‘This will not be solved by politics, it needs a security solution,’’ the UUP man added.