Lyndsey TelfordBBC News NI
BBC
The three Reavey brothers, John Martin, Brian and Anthony Reavey, who were murdered in a UVF attack at their family home in south Armagh
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the police have agreed to pay costs over delays in two legacy civil cases before the High Court in Belfast.
A sum of £10,000 is to be paid to lawyers of families whose relatives were killed in south Armagh in the mid-1970s by loyalist paramilitaries from the so-called Glenanne gang.
The money will be donated to two charities of the families’ choosing.
One of the delayed cases is being taken by Eugene Reavey. Three of his brothers were killed at their home in County Armagh in 1976.
The judge in the civil case, Mr Justice Rooney, heard arguments on the costs issue last week.
He was preparing to deliver his judgment on Tuesday, but was told by lawyers that an agreement to pay costs had already been reached.
Mr Reavey, 78, who was in the High Court, told BBC News NI that he hoped that the MoD and the police would now “sharpen themselves up and deal with these cases”.
“They just won’t do the work,” he said.
“The only way to make them sit up is to make them pay, and that’s what they’ve done in there this morning.”
An MoD spokesperson told the BBC: “We have agreed to make a modest payment in recognition of the need to reschedule hearings while work to prepare the cases for hearing is ongoing and the associated impact on the claimant’s legal costs.”
Eugene Reavey was in Belfast High Court on Tuesday
Three of Eugene Reavey’s brothers – Anthony, 17, Brian, 22, and John Martin, 24 – were killed in an attack at their family home in Whitecross in January 1976.
The 50th anniversary of the deaths is next month.
During an earlier sitting of the court, it was confirmed the full hearing of the civil case, which was supposed to happen this month, will now not take place until April.
The postponement is due to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the MoD not yet making sensitive documents available, for legal reasons.
‘Wasted’ costs
The other case which has been delayed relates to the killing of Sean Farmer, one of two GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) fans killed in south Armagh in 1975.
The families have been suing the PSNI and MoD over alleged collusion in the murder of their relatives.
The costs agreed to be paid will now be donated to two charities – Macmillan Nurses on behalf of the Farmer family, and Newry Hospice on behalf of the Reavey family.
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) unit known as the Glenanne gang has been blamed for about 120 killings in the 1970s.
The gang’s principal base was a farm in the County Armagh village of Glenanne, which belonged to a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer.
A report published last week found that “the Glenanne label had become applied to a much wider and more extensive network far beyond any connections to the original farm”.
It has been alleged the gang’s members included other police officers, as well as soldiers in the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).
Pacemaker
Eugene Reavey (second from right) and Brendan Farmer (second from left) were among those who took the case
Gavin Booth, who represents Mr Reavey, explained that the plaintiffs’ application had been for “wasted costs”.
“The PSNI and MoD have dragged their heels at the door of the court every time in getting these cases ready for trial,” he said.
“Today the PSNI and MoD accepted that they’ve wasted the court’s time, they’ve wasted barristers’ time, they’ve wasted solicitors’ time, and they’ve agreed to pay costs – costs to the solicitors and barristers for their time that they had set aside to prepare for the cases.”
The PSNI said it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time given that there were ongoing legal proceedings.
