Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard has said a settlement made to the family of Loughlin Maginn today is a clear indication of the failures in the police investigation of the 1989 murder.

The South Down MP said:

“Today, the PSNI and the British Ministry of Defence have made an undisclosed settlement to the family of Loughlin Maginn for failures in the original police investigations.

”There has always been credible evidence of collusion between British state forces and the loyalist death squad involved in the murder.

”The De Silva report detailed how Brian Nelson – a British army agent in the UDA – entered UDR bases in County Down with loyalists and members of the UDR to steal photo montages of republicans.

“Then the  murder of Loughlin Maginn in his home in Rathfriland by members of the UDR in front of his wife and children lifted the lid on the real extent of collusion between British state forces and state sponsored murder gangs.

”The RUC were aware of the plan, yet they let it happen.

“The Maginn family has always been critical of the police handling of Loughlin Maginn’s murder and this settlement today makes clear that there were serious failures.

“This has added additional trauma to a family that has already suffered so much.

“Sinn Féin will continue to support the Maginn family in their campaign for truth and justice and their call for a fresh inquest into the Loughlin’s murder and we hope that a decision will be forthcoming from the coroner in the coming weeks.

“Today’s settlement proves once again the important of families being able to access the courts for truth and justice and the Tory government should immediately scrap its legacy Bill of Shame which is about pulling down the shutters on their Dirty War in Ireland.”