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At approximately 1am on the morning of Saturday 25th May 1991, Councillor Edward Fullerton returned from meetings and a social engagement to his home at 66 Cockhill Estate, Buncrana, Co. Donegal, where he resided with his wife Dina. He and his wife had been living alone for the previous seven weeks as their youngest son, Edward Junior, had gone to take up employment in England. Mrs. Fullerton made some supper for her husband and retired to bed at about 1.15am. She fell asleep and it would appear that the late Councillor Fullerton retired shortly thereafter. At about 2.10am a number of men forced their way into the house by using a sledgehammer to break down the hall door. These men ascended the stairs and were confronted by the late Councillor Fullerton outside the door of his bedroom. These men fired six shots striking Mr. Fullerton and fatally wounding him. Mrs. Dina Fullerton was awoken by her husband shouting "What's that, what's that?" and she heard the very loud banging noises coming from downstairs, which were the men breaking in through the hall door. She saw her husband putting on his trousers and going to the door of the bedroom out onto the landing. She had gone to a wardrobe to get a coat. She remembers hearing three cracking noises and a young male voice saying "Come on, come on" and then two more cracking noises and then the noise of more than one person running on the stairs. Mrs. Fullerton found the body of her husband lying in the landing outside the bedroom door, his feet lying towards the bedroom door opposite their bedroom. Mrs. Fullerton raised the alarm. She went out into the road in front of the house and across to the house of her neighbour Michael McLaughlin at 64 Cockhill Estate. A member of the McLaughlin family phoned the Gardai who arrived within minutes. Mrs. Fullerton informed Sergeant Michael Murray what had happened. About a week or ten days after the murder, Mr. Albert Fullerton called again to his parent's house. His mother had gone to England to stay with relatives. In the hall, Mr. Albert Fullerton and his partner Stephanie Brown found an envelope with a Coleraine stamp mark on it. He opened the letter and inside was a post card with ‘UFF’ on one side and ‘RIP’ on the other. He brought the card to Buncrana Gardai Station. The following day two Gardai came to Mr. Fullerton's house to take his and Stephanie's fingerprints for elimination purposes. No one has been charged in connection with the murder of Councillor Edward Fullerton. The Eddie Fullerton Justice Committee believe he was killed because he was about to expose the collusion and corruption between the British Military, the RUC and An Guardai Siochana and their links with the gaming machine cartel in the Irish Republic. There is growing suspiscion from the Troops Out Movement and others that the murder of Eddie Fullerton could not have been carried out without collusion from British forces. The UFF gang from the Greater Belfast area who murdered Eddie Fullerton had detailed knowledge of the area - did they receive local assistance? They held up a family one mile from the Fullerton's home for three hours leading up to the murder. They entered and left the Fullerton's home in the early hours of the morning with ease, indicating that they were thoroughly familiar with the complex rural road network in the area and made their getaway without a hitch. Given the web of corruption in the Guardai in Donegal over an extended period of years (exposed almost daily at the Morris Tribunal), the Troops Out Movement believe that their conduct in this case raises serious questions.
New
evidence in murder of Sinn Féin Councillor The Dublin Government has appointed a senior garda to probe new evidence into the murder of a Sinn Fein councillor in Donegal over 10 years ago. Eddie Fullerton was shot dead at his home in Buncrana on May 25, 1991 in what was believed, at the time, to be an attack by a Derry-based UDA gang. Mr Fullerton's family have never been happy with the investigation into the murder carried out by local gardai. The late councillor's son Albert, who set up the Eddie Fullerton Justice Campaign, handed in a dossier of evidence about the murder to the 26-County Department of Justice last June. Within the last week he received a letter from Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, informing him that Letterkeny-based Chief Superintendent Noel White would be re-examining the case. The files include fresh claims from a man in Derry who said he saw an unmarked RUC car pick up three men in military clothing close to the northern side of the Donegal border, half an hour after the murder. The incident is alleged to have occurred close to where the burnt-out car used by the killers was abandoned. Chief Superintendent Noel White today confirmed he is looking into the case but was "not prepared" to discuss any new evidence. However, it is expected that he will make contact with the Derry witness. The development comes as the Morris Tribunal, into Garda corruption in Donegal, last week published a damning interim report on the force. Detective Garda Noel McMahon, who played a key role in the investigation into Eddie Fullerton's murder, has been labelled a liar by the tribunal chairperson, Justice Frederick Morris. "This has profound implications in respect of our campaign," said Albert Fullerton today. "What Justice Morris has said has copperfastened our case. Detective Garda Kevin McMahon was directly involved in the investigation into the murder of my father. "The standard mandatory police procedures carried out in a murder investigation were never carried out." Mr Fullerton's family will be calling for an independent public inquiry, spanning both jurisdictions.
‘Collusion’ in SF death Shocking new evidence about the assassination of Sinn Féin councillor Eddie Fullerton 14 years ago in Buncrana, Co Donegal will be revealed in a television documentary on TG4 tonight. Councillor Fullerton (56) , a highly respected and popular figure throughout Donegal, was gunned down by a loyalist death squad in his home on May 25, 1991. Many serious questions have never been answered about how the loyalist killers managed to infiltrate and subsequently flee the sleepy seaside area around Buncrana before easily making their escape back across the border and into the North. However, tonight’s documentary discloses a range of information including the existence of a compelling new witness, the concerns of Councillor Fullerton’s family about the nature of the Garda investigation, the seizure by the Garda of some of Councillor Fullerton’s private papers just hours after the killing, and the discovery of Councillor Fullerton’s details on security montages leaked by the British Crown forces. All of the new evidence – which has prompted a top-level Garda review of the original investigation – calls into question the role of the Donegal Garda and their RUC counterparts in Derry in relation to the incident. It has emerged that a previously unknown witness in the Culmore area of Derry saw three men getting into a RUC vehicle shortly after the assassination. The significance of this sighting is that previous official accounts suggested the killers had travelled to Culmore before making their way by motorised-dinghy across Lough Foyle to Magilligan in north Derry. The allegation that the RUC had any involvement in assisting the death squad once again raises the prospect of collusion in the killing. The new witness is described by programme-makers as “very credible and highly reputable”. He was so concerned about the incident that he made a formal statement to the RUC. It is claimed that two days later – in a highly unusual step - the RUC called to the witness’s home and invited him outside to sit in a squad car which contained a member of the Garda and a member of the RUC. According to the witness, both officers only seemed interested in whether or not he could identify the three people who had got into the RUC car on the night of Councillor Fullerton’s assassination. Following the well-documented discovery of high level corruption within the Donegal Garda, these latest allegations around Councillor Fullerton’s killing will heap more pressure on the force. Although the belief that the RUC had a hand in the assassination is widely held throughout nationalist areas in Derry and Donegal, the revelations of the new witness are bound to strengthen calls by Councillor Fullerton’s family for a full inquiry. Tonight’s documentary has been produced by Scun Scan films in co-operation with the family of Eddie Fullerton, and the research was conducted by one of Ireland’s leading investigative journalists, Frank Connolly. Speaking to Daily Ireland yesterday, producer/director Dónal Ó Maolfabhail described Councillor Fullerton’s killing as “the political assassination of an elected representative”. He said that the documentary, entitled Fullerton, exposes “alarming new evidence about the case”. Fullerton is broadcast tonight on TG4 at 9pm.
McDowell must demand cooperation from PSNI re: Eddie Fullerton Speaking following the announcement yesterday at Hillsborough of an arrangement for enhanced cooperation between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána, Sinn Féin Donegal County Councillor, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has called on Justice Minister Michael McDowell to demand that the PSNI now fully cooperate with the family of murdered Sinn Féin Councillor, Eddie Fullerton in their ongoing search for truth and justice. Cllr Mac Lochlainn said: "The family of Eddie Fullerton were intrigued to hear the PSNI Chief Constable, Hugh Orde, describe cooperation between the PSNI and An Garda Síochána as "seamless". If that really is the case, then I am sure Hugh Orde will have no difficulty in instructing his officers to fully assist the family during the ongoing reinvestigation of Eddie's murder by An Garda Síochána. "In the recently aired documentary 'Fullerton' on TG4, a new witness alleged that he saw a number of men being picked up by an unmarked RUC car at Culmore in the early hours of the morning not long after Eddies murder, only a short distance from where the car used in his murder was found burnt out. The assistance of the now PSNI would be most helpful in this regard. "Furthermore, a number of reputable journalists have alleged that the killers belonged to a UDA/ UFF unit which were led by agents of different agencies of British military intelligence including the notorious Force Research Unit (FRU). Indeed, it has been alleged that at least one of the killers was a British agent. Again, the assistance of Hugh Orde and the PSNI would be vital in this regard. "It is now almost 14 years since the murder of Eddie Fullerton, an elected representative of the people of Buncrana and Donegal. In all of those years, those responsible for policing on both sides of the border have shown little or no interest in helping the Fullerton family in their campaign for truth and justice. I now call on Michael McDowell to deploy the same resources in to investigating the murder of this democratically elected representative as he has in relation to the Northern Bank robbery. The Fullerton family will be watching him and his colleagues in the PSNI with great interest".
Ó Snodaigh seeks clarifications on Fullerton case Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Justice Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD is to seek further clarifications from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell, on the issue of the reinvestigation into the murder of Sinn Féin Donegal County Councillor Eddie Fullerton. In the Dáil yesterday, Sinn Féin TDs questioned Mr McDowell on the murder of Councillor Fullerton. The questions and response are as follows: Questions from Sinn Féin TDs and answer from Minister in relation to Fullerton case: Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has raised or will raise the issue of the strong evidence of British security forces collusion in the murder of Donegal County Councillor Eddie Fullerton. Arthur Morgan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will raise with the British authorities the lack of full co-operation from the PSNI in relation to the reinvestigation of the murder of Donegal County Councillor Eddie Fullerton. Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on whether the murder of an Irish elected representative, Donegal County Councillor Mr. Eddie Fullerton, demands a full public inquiry. Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the questions regarding the Garda investigation into the murder of Donegal County Councillor Mr. Eddie Fullerton arising out of the TG4 documentary, Fullerton; including the failure to question suspects and a key witness. Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has received a report from the Garda Síochána regarding the re-examination of the Garda investigation into the murder of Donegal County Councillor Eddie Fullerton which was completed in 2004; if not, the reason for the delay; if so, when he intends to publish its contents. Answer from Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell): "I would first like to state unequivocally my abhorrence at the murder of Mr. Eddie Fullerton, then Sinn Féin councillor on Donegal County Council, on the morning of 25 May 1991. The attack was callous and cold-blooded, and it also involved the taking hostage of another family in Buncrana. The so-called Ulster Freedom Fighters subsequently claimed responsibility for the murder. Unfortunately, to date, no person has been made amenable for this appalling crime. "In June 2003, solicitors acting on behalf of the family of the late Mr. Fullerton submitted to me what was described as a 'preliminary memorandum' setting out the concerns of the family in relation to the murder and the ensuing investigations and calling for an inquiry into the matter. These concerns had, to some extent, already been raised directly with the Garda Síochána in April 2002. "In any event, I referred the submitted memorandum to the Garda Commissioner. In response, the Commissioner directed the establishment of a review team led by a chief superintendent to conduct a thorough and concise investigation into all matters of concern raised, inter alia, either directly with the Garda authorities or as part of the memorandum submitted by the Fullerton family's solicitors. "The Garda review is drawing to a conclusion. Outstanding matters relate to the awaited results of a mutual assistance request to the British authorities and certain police-to-police enquiries with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. "I am recently in receipt of a report from the Garda authorities on the current, incomplete status of the review. However, no final conclusions can be drawn until such time as replies from the British and Northern Ireland authorities are received, evaluated and acted upon, as appropriate, by the Garda Síochána. Nevertheless, I can state that the Garda review itself was extensive, involving the taking of more than 150 statements and the interview of more than 120 people, including a person characterised by the Fullerton family's solicitors as being a new, key witness. "I do not intend to publish the Garda report which I recently received. However, as soon as all outstanding matters are clarified by the Garda Síochána upon the receipt of responses from the British and Northern Ireland authorities, I have already undertaken to contact the Fullerton family's solicitors with a full response to their concerns, including any action that I deem appropriate or necessary by way of further investigation or inquiry. "I should add that I have no reason to believe - nor have I received any indication - that either the British or Northern Ireland authorities have failed or will fail to co-operate with the requests made of them. "It should be noted that the Garda chief superintendent in charge of the review met the Fullerton family and their solicitors last December to provide them with and up-to-date briefing on developments with the review." Deputy Ó Snodaigh today said: “I welcome the Minister’s reply, particularly in that it makes very clear that the British Government and the PSNI are holding up the process of finding out the truth about collusion in this case, and in that it also leaves open the possibility of a public inquiry. “However I still need clarification on a number of issues and I will be seeking this from the Minister today. “The Minister says he will not publish the interim report he has received on the case because it is incomplete due to the outstanding information needed from the British authorities and PSNI. However, he avoids committing to publishing the final report, and we need this commitment from him. "The Fullerton family, the people of Buncrana, and the Irish people as a whole deserve to know the truth about the assassination of this elected representative. Question marks also remain over the serious deficiencies in the original Garda investigation, and the public deserve the truth about this also. “Disturbingly, despite a direct question on the matter it is unclear from the Minister’s reply whether he has in fact raised this case with the British Government. If he has not, I want a clear commitment from him that he will do so, as the murder of an Irish public representative as a result of British security force collusion with a loyalist death squad is a matter of the utmost seriousness and public importance.”
Unhappy with murder probe The Republic's minister for justice, Michael McDowell, was criticised last night by the son of murdered Co Donegal Sinn Féin councillor Eddie Fullerton. Mr Fullerton was shot dead at his Buncrana home in the early hours of May 25, 1991. The circumstances of Mr Fullerton’s killing by a loyalist death squad have led to widespread concerns about British state collusion, specifically by the RUC. Serious questions have also been raised by Mr Fullerton’s family about the Garda’s original investigation. Mr McDowell this week issued two statements in the Dáil responding to questions by Sinn Féin TDs over the affair. Labelling the assassination a “most heinous and dreadful crime”, Mr McDowell outlined the Irish government’s knowledge of the case over the past 14 years, including the Garda’s reinvestigation which is drawing to a close. “The only outstanding matters relate to the awaited results of a mutual assistance request to the British authorities and certain police-to-police inquiries with the Police Service of Northern Ireland,” Mr McDowell said. “No final conclusions can be drawn from the review until such replies from the British and Northern Ireland authorities are received, evaluated and acted upon, as appropriate, by the Garda Síochána. “Although I do not intend to publish the Garda report which I recently received, I have undertaken to contact the Fullerton family's solicitors with a full response to their concerns, as soon as all the outstanding matters are clarified by the Garda Síochána,” the minister added. Last night Eddie Fullerton’s son Albert said he found it “astonishing that the minister has implied there was a lack of response from the PSNI, given that we’ve recently been told co-operation is seamless”. “This is a very, very serious issue. A democratic politician was slaughtered in front of his wife and he had this word democracy rammed down his throat all his life and then his murder was followed up with nothing but cover-up and collusion for the last 14 years,” Mr Fullerton said. “It totally outweighs the Northern Bank robbery which the two governments have spent so much time on, because it appears that there continues to be a huge reluctance both on a political level and a policing level to secure the truth. “One example of this is that in 1993 the Castlerock incident happened [when] four workmen were killed by loyalists. It emerged that the same gun was used in my father’s murder and it is significant that post-Good Friday Agreement, with the early release system, the Irish government never filed for or applied for extradition proceedings to be initiated,” Mr Fullerton said. Sinn Féin TD Aengus O Snodaigh, who pressed Mr McDowell in the Dáil this week, said that while aspects of the government’s statements were welcome, he was “disappointed” that certain issues hadn’t been addressed.
McDowell still has questions to answer on Fullerton case Sinn Féin 26 county spokesperson on Justice, Equality and Human Rights, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD today welcomed the fact that missing correspondence between the Irish and British Governments in relation to the review of the investigation into the 1991 assassination of Donegal County Councillor Eddie Fullerton by Loyalists had resurfaced after queries from Sinn Féin. However Deputy Ó Snodaigh was also critical of the 26 county Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, for refusing to answer his other direct questions in relation to the case in the Dáil today. Deputy Ó Snodaigh said, “I welcome the news that a request for information and cooperation from the Irish to the British Government in relation to the assassination of Eddie Fullerton has now resurfaced following my having raised the matter with the Minister last month. "However I am sure the Fullerton family will share my disappointment that the Minister for Justice refused to answer my other questions as to when the request was originally forwarded by the Irish Government and, now that it has been officially received, when we can expect a response from the British authorities. “Eddie Fullerton was an elected representative of the Irish people. He was a well-known and well-respected County Councillor in Donegal. There are serious questions that need to be answered surrounding the circumstances of his assassination – not least the role British agents may have had in it and the manner in which the original investigation was carried out. "It is therefore all the more unacceptable that the Minister for Justice today refused point blank to release the contents of the interim Garda report into that investigation, categorically stated that he will not publish the final report, and moreover that he refused to give a reason for this decision following a direct question from me. Such an attitude can only fuel public concern and suspicions about what the Irish and British authorities might have to hide in relation to this case.”
‘The worst is yet to come’ An Garda Síochána and the Department of Justice could be rocked by further shocking revelations if a full public inquiry into the 1991 murder of Buncrana Councillor Eddie Fullerton can be established. Following last week’s devastating report by the Morris Tribunal, which outlined widespread corruption and negligence within the Garda, Councillor Fullerton’s son Albert last night declared that “the worst is yet to come”. Mr Fullerton was assassinated by a loyalist death squad from the North on May 25, 1991 at his home in Buncrana. Serious questions have surrounded Mr Fullerton’s murder, including the ability of loyalists to gain detailed local intelligence, as well as making safe passage to and from their base in the North. Mr Fullerton’s family have also highlighted the nature of the original Garda investigation and the Department of Justice’s ongoing conduct as causes of major concern. As their campaign to expose “collusion and cover-up” in relation to Mr Fullerton’s murder gathers momentum, the Buncrana man’s family will travel to Dublin next week in a bid to secure cross-party backing. The Fullerton family will take a delegation to Leinster House on Thursday, June 16 at the invitation of Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh. The meeting with cross-party representatives will come just 24 hours ahead of the first Dáil debate on the findings of the Morris Tribunal. “In my view, when the final truth comes out about Eddie Fullerton’s murder, it will take a generation to build the trust between the people and the Garda which has been destroyed,” Albert Fullerton said. “The thing is that people in politics and legal circles and the general public haven’t yet come to terms with how damaging this is. The worst is yet to come. “I was first making it public that Garda corruption and ineptitude existed in 1991 and I have now been totally vindicated.” Mr Fullerton insisted there is now no possible excuse for failing to have a full public inquiry into his father’s murder. However, he questioned whether Minister of Justice Michael McDowell would concede the family’s demand for a figure with international repute to sit on such a tribunal. “We’re now hoping that the TDs we will meet next week are willing to grasp the nettle and recognise that this is a social issue – not a political issue. “Eddie Fullerton was a fellow elected public representative of the Irish people and we are now asking all political representatives to put the need for a full, public inquiry with international oversight to the Department of Justice as a matter of urgency,” Albert Fullerton said. Mr Fullerton revealed that his mother Dinah will travel to the Dáil with other family members before attending a crucial private consultation with legal advisers.
Fullerton inquiry must see no delay Serious accusations that have been struggling to be heard have now been given a new urgency by the second report of the Morris tribunal into Garda conduct in Co Donegal. What would have been dismissed last week as absurd exaggerations or the work of politically motivated malcontents can now be seen as eminently plausible and very worrying. An appalling vista has opened up. Among the most serious accusations are those surrounding the 1991 murder of Sinn Féin councillor Eddie Fullerton at his home in Buncrana, Co Donegal. Mr Fullerton was shot dead by an Ulster Freedom Fighters death squad acting on precise local intelligence and able to commit the murder and escape with remarkable ease. Questions have been raised about collusion and about the conduct of the Garda investigation. These questions will not go away. That they are being asked about events in Donegal when that Garda division area has been exposed by Justice Morris as riven with corruption should set alarm bells ringing. They should be investigated in a way that meets the fullest, most open standards of inquiry. The Fullerton family should not have to endure any longer the long, hard road of searching for justice. Theirs is a very simple demand — that the state should properly inquire into facts surrounding the murder of an elected representative. In the light of Justice Morris’ report, that demand becomes an urgent requirement on the state. There can be no excuse for delaying a transparent public inquiry.
Fullertons demand justice By Martin Spain Members of the family of the late Eddie Fullerton, accompanied by Sinn Féin elected representatives, travelled to Dublin from Donegal last Thursday to bring to Leinster House their demand for a full, independent public inquiry into the May 1991 assassination of the popular Sinn Féin elected representative.
It is now 14 years since loyalist killers shot down Eddie Fullerton in his own home. Eddie was one of more than 20 Sinn Féin members and supporters who were killed by loyalists during that time. In all of those years, those responsible for policing on both sides of the border have shown little or no interest in helping the Fullerton family in their campaign for truth and justice. There is also mounting evidence of collusion between British forces, Garda members and loyalists in the killing. In the recently aired documentary Fullerton on TG4, a new witness said that he saw a number of men being picked up by an unmarked RUC car in the early hours of the morning not long after Eddie's murder, only a short distance from where the car used in his murder was found burnt out. The TG4 documentary also exposed that the witness in question never had an official statement taken but was subjected to an extraordinary and intimidating meeting in an unmarked car with a PSNI officer and a member of the Gardaí. A number of reputable journalists have alleged that the killers belonged to a UDA/UFF unit led by agents of different agencies of British Military Intelligence, including the notorious Force Research Unit (FRU). Indeed, it has been alleged that at least one of the killers was a British agent. Three of the Gardaí cited for criminality in the Morris Tribunal over the McBrearty affair were also involved in the so-called investigation into Eddie Fullerton's killing. Last month, missing correspondence between the Dublin and British Governments in relation to the review of the investigation re-surfaced after Dáil queries from Sinn Féin but despite the clear evidence of collusion and of the abject failure of the Garda investigation, Justice Minister Michael McDowell has continued to refuse to concede the Fullerton family's demand for a public inquiry. In 1993, Mitchel Mclaughlin got the RUC to admit that the gun used in a sectarian killing of four nationalists in Castlerock, County Derry was the same as that used to kill Eddie Fullerton two years previously. Not once since then has there been any representations from the Department of Justice in Dublin to question any of the loyalists involved in the killing. On Thursday last, the family met with a cross-party group of TDs and Senators at Leinster House and received a very favourable hearing, with the notable exception of the PDs, who declined to send a representative. The family also had a private meeting with the Mayor of Dublin, Labour's Michael Conaghan. Following the meeting, the Mayor pledged his support for a full public independent inquiry. On Friday, Eddie's son Albert was back outside Leinster House, where he joined a Sinn Féin protest. Party President Gerry Adams and Sinn Féin's TDs were among the party representatives from across Ireland who stood in solidarity with Albert and their murdered comrade. Gerry Adams called on the Irish government to support a full, public independent inquiry. He said: This is essential if we are to uncover the truth about the murder and the role the Garda played in the flawed investigation that followed." He also repeated his call for Justice Minister Michael McDowell to resign. "From the moment of his death, there have been allegations that the murder took place as a result of collusion between loyalists and British Intelligence. And critically, there have also been allegations with regard to the role played by the Gardaí — in the weeks leading up to his death and in the investigation that followed. There was no proper examination of the scene, crucial forensic evidence was never examined and key witnesses were not interviewed. "It has been known for some time now that three Gardaí — roundly discredited by the Morris Tribunal in recent weeks, were centrally involved in the flawed investigation into Eddie Fullerton's murder. One of them, Detective Garda Noel McMahon, was branded corrupt and a liar by the Tribunal. "In March 2002, I wrote to the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern asking for the terms of reference of the Morris Tribunal to be extended to include the murder of Eddie Fullerton. This request was dismissed in a letter from the Justice Minister Michael McDowell, who said 'it would not be appropriate to bring an entirely separate matter within the remit of the Inquiry'. "Minister McDowell's response ignored the fact that the same individuals being investigated by the Morris Tribunal at that time also had huge questions to answer in relation to their role in the investigation into the murder of Eddie Fullerton. It is a disgrace that for 14 years now the government have failed to treat the murder of an elected representative with the seriousness that it deserves. They have failed to support the family in its search for the truth. "Given the level of corruption that has been exposed among elements of the Gardaí — in Donegal and their link to the Fullerton case and what has already been revealed by the Stevens Inquiry team about collusion, it is essential that there is a full, independent public inquiry into the killing of Eddie Fullerton." The following poem was written by Eddie's grandchild Ricky, who was just two years old when the murder took place. Money for sweets The truth is the most powerful weapon of all "From the moment my father was murdered, it was apparent that the so-called Garda investigation was seriously flawed," says Albert Fullerton in conversation. "Had they listened to my concerns in 1991, maybe other families in Donegal wouldn't have had to go through what we did at the hands of the Gardaí. "The fact is that this state allowed the British state to come in and murder my father and ever since they have tried to cover up that collusion. "It hasn't been easy over 14 years getting people to believe but I knew if we were patient something would break because the truth is the most powerful weapon of all. "Myself, my wife and son moved into the house afterwards but for eleven years my mother couldn't face going inside again. It has really taken its toll on me and my family. My mother, who is 66 herself is a remarkable woman though, and she does a lot of work helping elderly people. "Our position was finally vindicated by the first and second Morris Tribunal reports. Now politicians across the board are more ready to support the campaign and put party politics to one side. "We have received two votes from Donegal County Council, the last one a unanimous vote just two weeks ago, in support of our demand for an independent public inquiry. That motion will be brought to other councils. "Michael McDowell has treated us with contempt, not even bothering to respond to our letter seeking a meeting. His department boasts the word equality but he is not fit for the role. His anti-republicanism has been to the fore in his dealings with us. "Bertie Ahern, in a meeting with Gerry Adams in 1998, spoke of my father in glowing terms, but nothing came of that meeting. We will not rest, however, until the truth of my father's murder is exposed. It is a terrible indictment of a state when it has to be harried by a grieving family to pursue justice when agents from outside the jurisdiction have killed one of its elected representatives."
RUC Alerted To Fullerton Murder Plans - Claim Loyalists The family of Eddie Fullerton have insisted fresh allegations that the police had prior knowledge of his murder have strengthened the case for public inquiry. The Fullertons' comments came after claims that a high ranking member of the UDA told the RUC that the organisation was planning to murder a Sinn Fein member in Donegal a number of days before the killing on May 25, 1991. It was reported that former UDA prisoners in South Belfast and County Down named the informant as ex-UDA commander Alex Kerr. It's also been reported that they have confirmed that a second UDA informant, Ned Greer may also have alerted the police to the Buncrana murder plans. In the years following the murder, Kerr (1998) and Greer (1993) fled the North. The councillor's son Albert Fullerton says the new claims have served to highlight the need for a a full probe. He added that they further confirmed the family's belief that there was collusion in the murder. ""The UDA had to have assistance from the RUC and Garda to come so deep into to Donegal to kill my father. "He was set up to be murdered by the police, police informants and paramilitaries. That is a fact. "In the days before the murder, Gardai informants were asking my family about my dad's whereabouts. Immediately after the killing, the murderers were seen getting into an unmarked RUC vehicle in Culmore. And now I've learned possibly two loyalist informers tipped the RUC off prior to the murder." And Mr. Fullerton has called for the State's reinvestigation into the murder - which was completed under the direction of Justice Minister Michael McDowell last December after claims that the initial probe was "botched" - to be published in full. "When you consider [Minister] McDowell's comments that the police and the Gardai have no case to answer then why has he not published the re-investigation into the murder. "McDowell seems to be political grandstanding to get the heat off from the fallout of the Morris report but if he sticks to the line that there is no case to answer then he should have no problem in publishing the findings of the re-investigation." "He [Minister McDowell] seems to be the only one who believes there is no case to answer. The elected members of Donegal County Council don't see it his way. All the politicians we met in Dublin recently - which included members of every political party except his own Progressive Democrats - don't see it his way. "The PD's seem to be running the Government even though they are the smallest party in the Government," he added. Mr. Fullerton added that the Eddie Fullerton Justice Committee would continue to seek the truth about the murder, drawing comparisons with the lengthy public inquiry campaign fought by the families of those killed in the Dublin-Monaghan bombings. "It took such a long time for this campaign to drag the Government kicking and screaming into an inquiry and we will do the same. "If they [The Government] can't do it for one of their own representatives then democracy is dead in this country."
Fullertons told UDA murder suspects cannot be charged A UDA gang identified by the RUC as the main suspects in the murder of a Co Donegal councillor cannot be charged with the killing because gardai failed to ask for them to be questioned, his family have been told. Sinn Fein councillor Eddie Fullerton was shot dead when a UDA gang broke into his home near Buncrana in Co Donegal in the early hours of May 25 1991. The murder was highly unusual as the killers travelled into the Republic to carry out the attack and escaped back to the north. An Irish government minister attended the Sinn Fein councillor’s funeral with then Church of Ireland Bishop Dr James Mehaffey praising Mr Fullerton’s constituency work. An eyewitness later claimed to have seen three men dressed in combat gear getting into an unmarked RUC car near Derry within hours of the murder, close to where the gang’s getaway vehicle had been set on fire. The witness later expressed concern after being “unofficially” questioned by two RUC men and a garda in a police car about his ability to identify the suspects. In the intervening 16 years no-one has been arrested or charged with the murder. In 2004 the Irish government appointed Detective Superintendent Noel Whyte to review the original murder investigation. The Fullerton family rejected the initial review’s findings, which cast doubt over the witness’ ability to identify the unmarked police car. The report was unable to identify the garda who took part in the ‘unofficial’ questioning. Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan later launched an investigation into the allegations that the killers had escaped in an unmarked RUC car. Mr Fullerton’s family say they have now been informed that the RUC had identified the main suspects to gardai within weeks of the murder. However, they have been told that gardai failed to ask the RUC to question the suspects. The new evidence came from the Historic Enquiries Team (HET), set up by PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde to reinvestigate 100 controversial murders carried out during the Troubles. The HET team have told the Fullertons they can find no record of gardai having asked the RUC to question the main suspects, despite their names having been passed to gardai. The Fullerton family last night demanded a public inquiry into the Garda investigation and the failure to request that the main suspects be questioned. Mr Fullerton’s daughter Amanda highlighted the fact that the weapons used in her father’s murder were later used in 13 other killings, including the UDA attacks on Greysteel and Castlerock. It can now be revealed that the Smith and Wesson handgun used in Mr Fullerton’s murder was later used to kill Sinn Fein worker Thomas Donaghy in the Co Derry village of Kilrea in August 1991. A Browing 9mm pistol used in the councillor’s murder was used to kill Sinn Fein worker Danny Cassidy in April 1992. The Smith and Wesson was also used in the murder of four Catholic workmen at Castlerock in Co Derry in April 1993. The same weapon was used in one of the worst atrocities of the Troubles when UDA gunmen murdered seven people at the Rising Sun Bar in Greysteel in Co Derry in October 1993. The Fullertons say they have been told the UDA gang convicted of the Greysteel and Castlerock attacks were never questioned about the councillor’s murder. “My family want to know why the Garda made no attempt to have the main suspects in my father’s murder arrested and questioned,” Amanda Fullerton said. “There is clear, incontrovertible evidence that the weapons used by this gang went on to kill 13 more people. “If the gardai had asked for this gang to be questioned about my father’s murder there is a chance that those 13 people may be alive today. “After the Castlerock murders in 1993 my mother asked gardai to question the men convicted of that attack. “She was told they had been questioned and had nothing to do with my father’s murder.” Ms Fullerton says the HET team have now informed her family that the main suspects cannot now be charged with the murder because of the 16-year failure to seek their questioning. “The HET’s legal experts have said there is now little chance of these individuals standing trial because of the gardai’s failure to have them questioned at the time. “They could successfully argue that the failure to question them as known suspects at the time means there was an abuse of process.” The Fullertons have now demanded that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern establishes a full public inquiry into the Garda investigation of her father’s murder. “This was the murder of a democratically elected representative of the state,” Ms Fullerton said. “We now find that right from the beginning there was no proper investigation of my father’s murder. “At best this was total gardai incompetence but at worst there was gardai collusion in the cover-up of my father’s murder. “It is now time for Bertie Ahern to give us the truth by establishing a proper independent judicial inquiry into what went on here.” A Garda spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment on the allegations as Mr White’s review of the original investigation was still ongoing.
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