Irish News 15.8.2003
THE mother of Peter McBride last night responded angrily to a Ministry of Defence statement that her son's killers are to remain in the British army.
Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram yesterday informed Jean McBride by letter that the British army will not re-examine the decision to allow her son's killers to remain as soldiers.
The decision comes despite the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal ruling in June which stated that the army had been wrong to allow Scots Guardsmen James Fisher and Mark Wright to remain as soldiers because of "exceptional circumstances" surrounding the 18-year-old's murder in September 1992.
Following the announcement of that judgment the Independent Assessor on Military Complaints, Jim McDonald, also called for the case to be reviewed.
The letter to Jean McBride also revealed that one of her son's killers has been promoted since he was allowed to return to the army in 1998.
It is understood that this is despite assurances given to the Republic's government that neither man would be promoted.
The revelation comes just two days after the McBride family held a meeting with Human Rights Minister John Spellar, who as armed forces minister in 2000, sat on a panel which allowed Fisher and Wright to remain in the army.
It is understood that the McBride family were told at that meeting that the MoD had taken no decision on the future of Peter McBride's killers.
But Jean McBride is now asking how the letter she received telling her that her son's killers will remain as soldiers, was dated August 7 - four days before the meeting with John Spellar.
"The British government is now not only defending two convicted murders, but is now totally ignoring the highest court in Northern Ireland," she said.
"These two were convicted of murder in a court of law.
"They served just three years in jail for my son's murder and were being paid by the British army every day they were in jail.
"They were welcomed back into the British army with open-arms and when the courts ruled that this was wrong the army simply took another decision to allow this pair to remain as soldiers.
"We went back to courts again and the highest court in Northern Ireland ruled that there were no exceptional reasons to keep this pair in the army.
"Now the British army has totally ignored that ruling and totally ignored the suffering of my family.
"The British government don't know the first thing about justice or human rights."
Adam Ingram's decision was last night criticised by both the SDLP and Sinn Fein.
SDLP chairman Alex Attwood described the decision to ignore the Court of Appeal ruling as "scandalous".
"Recently, a soldier was kicked out of the army for cheating on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" he said.
"The message could not be clearer - it is not on for a soldier to cheat on a game show, but it is all right to shoot a civilian in the back on the streets of Belfast."
Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly accused the government of turning its back on justice.
"It is a case where they are clearly stating that it is okay for members of the British army to shoot dead Catholics in cold blood and get away with it.
"These two men should be removed from the British armed forces immediately."
But despite yesterday's setback, Jean McBride insisted that her family's campaign would continue.
"I have one message for this government: we are not going away," she said.
"I will fight to have Wright and Fisher dismissed while I still have a breath in my body."
Irish News 15.8.2003
Since arriving in the Northern Ireland Office new Human Rights Minister John Spellar has been embroiled in the Scots Guards controversy. But his reluctance to be interviewed means he remains a little known figure. So who is New Labour's new man in Belfast? Barry McCaffrey reports.
John Spellar (56) is widely regarded as one of the Labour Party's most contentious MPs. Situated firmly on the right wing of the party Mr Spellar was first elected to Westminster in 1982 to represent Birmingham Northfield. Educated at Oxford, he was nicknamed 'Ex-Spellar' for his role in the campaign to dismiss members of the left-wing Militant group from the Labour Party in the early 1990s. The former trade union official is no stranger to Northern Ireland politics, having served as a party spokesman during 1994/1995.
After Labour swept to victory in the 1997 General Election Mr Spellar was appointed as Minister for the Armed Forces, where he worked with Dr John Reid, who went on to become secretary of state for Northern Ireland. During his tenure at the Ministry of Defence John Spellar is credited with countering suggestions that the Labour government was 'soft' on defence. Security for government ministers was tightened in June 2000 after a lap-top belonging to Mr Spellar, who was the government minister in charge of Britain's nuclear secrets, was stolen from his home in Kent. Two ministerial boxes, which were in the house at the time, were untouched in the raid. An MoD spokesman insisted that the lap-top had not contained any sensitive military information.
In an unrelated event, a week later Mr Spellar angered nationalists in Northern Ireland after he announced that no disciplinary action was to be taken against British army soldiers who were photographed with a flag supporting the Orange Order's protest at Drumcree. Mr Spellar said that the circumstances in which the photographs were taken had been 'misinterpreted'.
In February of this year the then Transport Minister was embroiled in arguably the biggest political controversy of his career, when he effectively banned asylum seekers from his constituency surgeries in Warley.Mr Spellar said he would only see asylum seekers - there are estimated to be 4,000 in his constituency - who had a legitimate right to be in Britain and whose names appeared on the electoral register. He defended the decision insisting that asylum seekers would be referred to local solicitors or citizens advice bureaus, who he said were better qualified to deal with their problems. Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe criticised Mr Spellar's decision, branding it 'un-Christian'.
Mr Spellar faced more controversy following his move to Northern Ireland - but this began even before he arrived in the north. On the day his appointment to the NIO was announced, the Irish News revealed he had been part of an army board which allowed the Scots Guards killers of north Belfast teenager Peter McBride to remain in the army. His appointment came just hours after a Court of Appeal had ruled that the army board had been incorrect, when it stated that there were "exceptional circumstances'' to allow Fisher and Wright to remain in the army. Mr Spellar initially refused to meet with the McBride family, but is understood to have relented after both Sinn Fein and the SDLP warned that they would not meet him until he agreed to meet the McBrides.
On Tuesday Peter McBride's mother Jean accused Mr Spellar of being 'unfit' to hold the office of Minister for Human Rights after what is said to have been a 'stormy' meeting between the dead man's family and the government minister. But speaking from Mr Spellar's home constituency last night, Labour councillor Geoffrey Taylor insisted that the MP for Warley was held in the 'highest standing' amongst his own constituents. "I have never known an MP who deals with cases as quickly. He is a quite approachable man. Most Friday nights he comes and has a drink with us in the local Labour club. I have nothing but the highest respect for the man. In Warley we have a large ethnic minority community and he deals with their human rights problems, such as immigration, in an excellent way.''
When it was pointed out that Mr Spellar had banned asylum seekers from his constituency surgeries in February, Mr Taylor said: "As I recall that was because ordinary constituents couldn't get to him because of the number of asylum seekers at his surgery. ''Asked if asylum seekers were now welcome at the Labour MPs surgery, Mr Taylor said: "As far as I am aware. I'm not exactly sure. However local Tory councillor Karen Bissell had a different view of her local MP. "We don't see much of John Spellar. He doesn't live in the constituency. He only comes here from time to time. He is not involved in local community issues and seems to be very aloof. I know people who have gone to see him on constituency matters and have felt as if he was reading from a prepared speech. They felt as if they were talking to a civil servant or a bureaucrat.''
To date Mr Spellar has declined three separate requests for interviews with the Irish News.