Doherty family urge Secretary of State to ensure MI5 cooperate

THE family of a Londonderry man murdered by the Real IRA have challenged the Secretary of State Owen Paterson to ensure secret intelligence service MI5 cooperates fully with a PSNI investigation into his death.

SDLP Foyle MP Mark Durkan joined the family of Kieran Doherty at a meeting with the Secretary of State in Belfast to discuss their concerns about MI5 harassment and surveillance of Mr Doherty prior to his death.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Durkan said: "The family challenged the Secretary of State to ensure that MI5 – as a British government security service – cooperates fully with the PSNI during their investigation into the murder of Kieran Doherty.

"There are very grave concerns and a number of questions about the behaviour of MI5 agents who were active in and around Derry at that time which still remain to be answered.

"There are other channels we will be pursuing as well. One of the things that came up at the meeting was the role of Lord Alex Carlile who reviews and reports on the interface between security services and the police.

"He advises the government in relation to terrorism-related issues. And so it may well be that we also arrange to see him to flesh out some of the issues that are represented by the very real concerns that the family have.

"When the devolution of justice and policing took place there was the problem of the very strong role being given to MI5 here in the North and their beefed up presence at Palace Barracks.

"It was always going to be a 'twilight zone' if MI5 were involved in things that were going to run across possible police investigations. Indeed, the issue would be where primacy would lie and whether the police would have full access.

"MI5 aren't accountable to the policing structures through the Police Ombudsman and the oversight by the Policing Board – contrary to what Patten clearly recommended.

"Unfortunately, that was breached, overturned by the St Andrew's Agreement.

"And so the problem that I and others concerned about that back then has now come to pass, and Kieran Doherty's family are feeling it very acutely."

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