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Survivor of 1992 UVF pub attack says gunmen still free despite compensation

Julian O'NeillCrime and justice correspondent, BBC News NI
News imageFAMILY HANDOUT A blurred image of a man with a moustache and a black and white stripped polo shortFAMILY HANDOUT
Peter McCormack was shot dead by loyalists at a pub in Kilcoo in 1992. Three others were seriously injured

A survivor of a UVF gun attack at a County Down pub has said money paid out by the PSNI and Ministry of Defence (MoD) "doesn't change" that those who carried out the attack have not been brought to justice.

John McEvoy is one of eight survivors awarded compensation totalling millions of pounds following a High Court hearing in Belfast.

The exact figure was not disclosed but it is believed to be one of the largest payouts involving a Troubles case.

Peter McCormack, 42, was killed when two gunmen opened fire inside the packed Thierafurth Inn in Kilcoo in 1992 during a charity darts match.

McEvoy, who was behind the bar on the night of the attack, said he felt it was "a victory for us" but also said that compensation "doesn't change that those who did it are still out there".

"We waited a long time for this. It's 34 years now from the shooting. It never goes out of your mind. It's with you all the time," he added.

News imageMark Marlow/PA Wire A group of people walking along a footpath in sunshine. Mark Marlow/PA Wire
John McEvoy (centre), who survived a UVF gun attack at the Thierafurth Inn in Kilcoo, arrives at court.

Eight survivors sued over allegations of state collusion in the attack.

In a statement, the PSNI said: "The terms of the settlement are confidential and out of respect for those involved, we will not publicly discuss or comment on the specifics of the case."

Four years ago, the High Court ruled the PSNI had failed to carry out an effective investigation.

One of the suspects was a member of the British Army's Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).

The UVF said they had been trying to kill a named republican who was not at the pub at the time and who they had targeted using photo montages taken from a UDR base.

The gang was also involved in other murders in County Down, including the Loughinisland massacre.

In 2016, a Police Ombudsman report stated at least three individuals and their families, directly associated with the UVF in south County Down, were members of the UDR.

It added that there had been no sustained response by the police to disrupt their activities.

News imagePacemaker A cottage style building with white washed walls and cars from the 1990s parked outside. Pacemaker
The Thierafurth Inn in Kilcoo, County Down, in 1992 after the fatal UVF gun attack

On Wednesday, Patrick Gribben, one of those wounded, said the shooting still caused him nightmares.

Speaking after the hearing, he said: "It's something you don't get over."

Solicitor Gavin Booth said the settlement represented "a proper acknowledgement of the pain and trauma caused".

He added rather than being prosecuted, the killers were "protected by the state and never brought to justice".

Sinn Féin MP Chris Hazzard said it was a good day but he would "much rather have seen justice done and those perpetrators brought before the courts."

The civil case has taken 11 years to reach a conclusion.