Pursuit of officer who shot and killed IRA bomber 'vindictive' Ian Paisley tells Commons

By Mark Rainey
Published 19th Jul 2023, 15:11 BST
Updated 19th Jul 2023, 15:24 BST
Colum Marks who was shot dead by the RUC in Downpatrick in 1991Colum Marks who was shot dead by the RUC in Downpatrick in 1991
Colum Marks who was shot dead by the RUC in Downpatrick in 1991
​Supporters of the government’s Legacy Bill are “wildly mistaken” if they think they are acting to protect former members of the security forces from prosecution, Ian Paisley has told the Commons.

The DUP MP for North Antrim said that with so many former police and military personnel already being investigated – who will not be able to benefit from the proposed amnesty – the main beneficiaries are those republican terrorists who could otherwise face prosecution if new evidence was brought forward in the future.

Mr Paisley referred to a case highlighted in the News Letter on Monday as a prime example of how concerted attempts are being made to put former security force members before the courts.

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In April 1991, a covert RUC officer shot and fatally wounded IRA bomber Colum Marks in Downpatrick. The officer was initially cleared of any wrong-doing – as it was accepted by both the police and PPS at the time that he opened fire fearing his own life was in danger. However, he then endured a seven-year prosecution ordeal when, 25 years after the fatal shooting, someone who claimed to be a previously unidentified witness made a statement.

In May this year, the PPS said both the new witness evidence and a privately obtained forensic report were at odds with the facts established in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

In the Commons on Tuesday evening, Mr Paisley said: “Some republicans will not let this issue go. There have been a couple of comments tonight, from Members on both the front bench and the back benches, suggesting that no vexatious cases are ongoing. Actually, vindictive and vexatious cases are ongoing, and I want to put one before the House tonight. Colum Marks was lawfully shot dead… because he was about to murder and maim in Downpatrick”.

The MP added: “The officer who took part in that operation has now faced three trials. He was most recently cleared by the DPP with the words that this was a lawful killing, not only in his self-defence but in the defence of the state and the people living in Downpatrick. Was that the end of it? No, there is now going to be another trial – another attempt to drag that officer... before the courts. That is vindictive”.