Reavey and O'Dowd Killings - Perpetrators

Perpetrators

According to the Reavey and O'Dowd families, the RUC officers sent to investigate the shootings were hostile and unhelpful—the Reavey family claimed the RUC's attitude was that "your brothers were not shot for nothing". The police inquest, however, found that the family had no links with paramilitaries.

In 1988, while imprisoned, former RUC officer Billy McCaughey admitted being one of the men who took part in the Reavey attack—although he denied firing any shots. At that time he was a member of the RUC's Special Patrol Group (SPG), but in 1980 he was imprisoned for his involvement in the sectarian murder of chemist William Strathearn. McCaughey did not face any charges in connection with the Reavey shooting. He also claimed that RUC reservist James Mitchell had driven the getaway car, along with his housekeeper Lily Shields. Eugene Reavey, who had worked as a poultry advisor, knew Mitchell and used to visit his farm once a week.

RUC SPG officer John Weir, in his affidavit made to Irish Supreme Court Justice Henry Barron, named those involved in the Reavey shootings as Robert McConnell (a soldier of the British Army's Ulster Defence Regiment), Laurence McClure (an RUC SPG officer), James Mitchell and another man. In a meeting with Eugene Reavey, the RUC officer heading the investigation also named McConnell, McClure and Mitchell as suspects. Anthony Reavey's description of the man carrying the submachine gun closely fits that of McConnell, despite the gunman having worn a black woollen balaclava. McConnell was implicated in the 1974 Dublin car bombings as well as multiple sectarian attacks.

Weir named Mid-Ulster UVF leader Robin "the Jackal" Jackson as the main gunman in the O'Dowd shootings. Investigating officers told Barney O'Dowd that Jackson was involved but they did not have enough evidence to charge him. Jackson has also been named as having had a central role in the 1974 Dublin car bombings, Miami Showband massacre and a series of sectarian killings. A number of sources have claimed he was an RUC Special Branch agent.

Human rights group the Pat Finucane Centre (PFC), along with the families of those killed, have stated their belief that the killings were part of a string of attacks carried out by the "Glenanne gang". This gang included members of the SPG, UDR and loyalist paramilitaries (in particular the UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade) under the command of British military intelligence and/or the RUC's Special Branch. The PFC further alleges that the killings were part of "a security-force-inspired 'dirty war' aimed at terrorising the Catholic/Nationalist community into isolating the IRA," and were "intended to provoke a bloody and ever escalating response". This would allow much tougher security measures to be put in place.