Yahoo News MP in tears as he urges justice for cousin murdered by the IRA and end to 'witchhunt' of troops
ANorthern Irish MP whose cousin was murdered by the IRA broke down in tears this afternoon as he urged the Government to bring an end to the 'witch hunt' against British soldiers.
Jim Shannon told MPs he understood the need for justice as recalled the death of his cousin Kenneth Smyth, as well as friends who had served in the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).
Mr Smyth, who joined the UDR as a young man, was married for only three months when he was murdered on December 10, 1971.
He was shot by the IRA three times in the head at point-blank range on his way to work.
Mr Shannon, who also served in the UDR during the conflict, said he was "horrified" to learn that as many as 1,000 former servicemen will be investigated for murder or manslaughter suspects as part of a multi-million pound review.
His comments follow an uproar over the disclosure that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) is re-examining the deaths of 302 people linked to the actions of British troops during the Troubles.
The probe is expected to last for many years and will cost tens of millions of pounds.
Speaking in the Commons, Mr Shannon said the investigation was based on" bogus claims" and were a deliberate attempt to "defraud" the Ministry of Defence and "destroy the reputation of our armed forces."
He called on the Government to assess the "intimidation" of individual soldiers and the impact the investigations will have on their families.
Mr Shannon told MPs: "I understand very well the concept of closure and wanting justice. I want justice for my cousin Kenneth Smith, who was murdered by the IRA."
Struggling to hold back his tears, he said: "I want justice for the four UDR men that the honourable member refers to, a few of whom I knew personally.
"And yet there's no multimillion pound investigation available for that. So I resent the idea that this seems to once more represent that one life is worth more than another. It's not, never will be."
"The grief of a mother doesn’t change with the colour of her hair, the area she lives with or the churches she attends – it can never do, and why should it?"
He added that he had been horrified to learn that 1,000 former soldiers were to be investigated in 238 fatal incidents.
He told MPs: "These are men who gave up their family life, they gave up freedom, who witnessed horrors, who were subjected to horrific life-changing scenes, who helped dying comrades in their arms and searched the rubble for missing members of their team – and now, having dealt with this wearing the Queen’s colours they are again to be subject to investigations."
