Ballymurphy Investigation 'Not in Public Interest'

The families of 11 people killed by British troops in 1971 have been told there will be no Bloody Sunday-style investigation.

Relatives of those killed in what became known as the Ballymurphy Massacre said they were "deeply disappointed" by Secretary of State Owen Paterson's decision that an independent investigation "would not be in the public interest".

But they said they would continue their campaign.

The 11 deaths occurred during a security operation in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast directly following the introduction of internment without trial.

People killed there by the same regiment as was involved in Bloody Sunday in Londonderry included a mother of eight and a parish priest attending to the wounded.

A spokesman for the relatives said: "We believe that is clearly in the 'public interest' that the full facts relating to the circumstances of the deaths of our loved ones and the role of the British Parachute Regiment is fully established."

Northern Ireland's Attorney General John Larkin has ordered that the inquests into the deaths be re-opened but the relatives said inquests would have limitations and not be able to "answer so may of the questions that must be answered".

They repeated a call for Prime Minister David Cameron to meet directly with the families, and rejected the police's Historical Enquiries Team as it has been criticised for shortcomings in the way it handles deaths caused by soldiers in the Troubles.

(NE)