Judge's Daughter Terror Killing 'Mistake'

The sister of an IRA murder victim - who was a judge's daughter - has spoken out after one of her killers went into print and called the death 'a tragic mistake.'

Ann Travers was speaking about Mary McArdle, a former IRA prisoner, who was part of a gang who killed 22-year-old Mary Travers as she left a chapel in south Belfast with her family in April 1984.

The victim (pictured) was shot in the back during the ambush, while her Magistrate father, Tom Travers was hit six times but survived.

McArdle was convicted of the murder and jailed for life, but was released under the Good Friday Agreement.

This week, speaking to the Andersonstown News, Ms McArdle said: "I want to state clearly that the killing of Mary Travers was a tragic mistake and I regret that it happened."

However, a clearly distressed Ann Travers, the victim's sister, speaking to BBC NI this morning said: "A mistake? My sister was murdered.

"There was two gunmen who went out that day so surely if they didn't want to make such a tragic mistake, they would only have sent one gunman. I just find that insulting."

She has now called on Northern Ireland's politicians to act on her behalf and have Mary McArdle removed from her controversial appointment to a top Sinn Fein job at Stormont.

The NI Executive First Minister is known to be opposed to the controversial appointment and has backed calls for the killer's removal from her taxpayer-funded Assembly position.

Controversy erupted last month after it emerged that Ms McArdle has been appointed as special adviser to new Department of Culture (DCAL) Minister Caral Ni Chuilin, who is also a former republican prisoner.

The DUP's Michelle McIlveen slammed her own Department's Minister and said the DCAL Minister had caused revulsion and disgust by the appointment of her adviser.

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"The DCAL Minister should focus on making amends for the offence caused by her adviser's appointment," said the DUP MLA.

The controversy deepened with news that the adviser linked to one of the most shocking killings of the Troubles would stay in her Assembly job, despite First Minister Peter Robinson describing Sinn Fein's decision to appoint her as "insensitive and a mistake".

The dead woman's sister, Ann Travers, has already told BBC NI that her family found the appointment difficult to accept.

See: Killer Keeps Stormont 'Special Adviser' Post

(BMcC/KMcA)