Brown family members say the development has retraumatised them and express concerns that it could delay a public inquiry by yearsThe UK government has mounted a legal challenge over the inquest of murdered GAA official Seán Brown in a move that could effectively delay a public inquiry into his killing.
Mr Brown was locking the gates at Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAA club in Co Derry in May 1997 when he was abducted and murdered by loyalist paramilitaries. No one has been convicted for the murder.
“The Brown family are gravely concerned that this is a concerted attempt to tie them up in legal processes that could take years and that they are being used as pawns in a wider attempt by the British government to defend its indefensible approach to legacy,” said Niall Murphy, of KRW Law. Before it ended, the inquest revealed that up to 25 people, some of whom were state agents, had been linked through intelligence to the murder of Mr Brown – the first time the family’s suspicions of collusion were officially confirmed. The details were disclosed in public-interest immunity hearings, which were held behind closed doors.
Former taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and GAA president Jarlath Burns are among those to support the Brown family’s campaign for a public inquiry.