Gardaí to reopen probe into Ludlow murder

A senior garda officer was today appointed to re-examine the investigation into the murder of a Dundalk forestry worker 30 years ago.

Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy made the decision after the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice criticised the original inquiry into the death of Seamus Ludlow in a report yesterday.

The committee recommended a commission of inquiry be set up after it emerged the four suspects in the 1976 loyalist paramilitary murder identified by the Royal Ulster Constabulary were never questioned by gardaí.

A garda spokesman said the senior officer would re-examine all investigation files relating to the case and re-investigate where appropriate all avenues of enquiry in a bid to bring those responsible to justice.

“This investigation will necessitate working closely with officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland,” he said.

“The Garda officer concerned will report to Assistant Commissioner, National Support Services, who will advise on the appropriate direction of the investigation.”

The Joint Committee on Justice called for a new investigation and said the Ludlow family were treated in a very unsatisfactory manner by the gardai in the aftermath of the murder.

“The gardai do not seem seem to have made any inquiries in Northern Ireland in 1976 or seriously considered the possibility of collusion,” its report found.

Committee chairman Sean Ardagh acknowledged it had not met the family’s demands for a public inquiry but said it felt a commission of investigation was the best way of getting information speedily.

In a statement, the Ludlow family said they were pleased with the committee’s conclusion that they had been treated in an appalling manner but insisted a public inquiry was the only way to get to the truth.

The committee held hearings in January and February into Judge Henry Barron’s report into the Ludlow murder.

It found that despite submissions from gardai who stated that they could not travel across the border to interview suspects, interviews had been conducted in Northern Ireland by members of the force on at least three occasions.

Judge Barron found Mr Ludlow, an unmarried forestry worker, had been the victim of a random sectarian killing and that there was absolutely no evidence to suggest he had any republican connections.

After his death, members of the Gardaí wrongly told the family that he had been shot by the IRA a an informer and this led to deep divisions which lasted for two decades.

They also failed to give them adequate notice about the inquest into his death and no member of the family was present.

The committee expressed the gravest concerns about the role collusion played in the murder of Seamus Ludlow and said it was undisputed that two of the suspects were members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).

The proposed commission of investigation will have the power to compel the attendance of witnesses and to order the discovery of documents, but it will be held in private.

Michael Donegan, the nephew of Seamus Ludlow, said the family would continue their campaign for a public inquiry.

The four loyalists suspected of murdering Seamus Ludlow were arrested in Northern Ireland in 1999 but were released without charge on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Both the Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy and Justice Minister Michael McDowell have apologised to the Ludlow family for the way they were treated and the inadequate Garda investigation.