Hotel bombing report likely to criticise police investigation

The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI) is to people a study aboriginal connected the IRA firebomb onslaught connected the La Mon Hotel, extracurricular Belfast, which killed 12 people.

The onslaught connected 17 February 1978 astatine the County Down venue is considered 1 of the astir horrific attacks of the Troubles.

A bomb, placed extracurricular a window, was attached to cans of petrol mixed with sugar, sending a immense fireball into the hotel, wherever 400 radical were attending a dance.

The watchdog's study is apt to beryllium captious of aspects of the archetypal investigation.

Those murdered, each Protestants, included 3 joined couples.

More than 30 radical were injured.

They were attending an Irish Collie Club event.

The PONI study follows an introspection of a ailment made astir the archetypal probe by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC).

It was submitted by Ulster Human Rights Watch (UHRW) and included statements from immoderate of the bereaved families and survivors.

UHRW has pointed retired that a 2012 reappraisal of the lawsuit by the Historical Enquiries Team revealed constabulary interrogation notes had gone missing.

It has questioned whether IRA members were protected due to the fact that they were moving arsenic authorities agents astatine the clip oregon later.

Andrea Nelson was 14 astatine the clip her parents Paul and Dorothy were murdered astatine La Mon.

She said the atrocity was "needless" and that she and her sister Melanie person lived the past 46 years "with a large spread successful our hearts".

Speaking up of the report's publication, she added: "It volition beryllium a hard day.

"I privation the fullest representation of what happened.

"Once we've had a accidental to work and bespeak connected the report, I deliberation we volition beryllium successful a amended spot to recognize is this present the last uncovering the stone?

"I privation to consciousness I person done everything I could to scope justness for my mummy and daddy and bring closure, if that's possible."

West Belfast antheral Robert Murphy was sentenced to beingness imprisonment for manslaughter successful 1981 and released successful 1995.

But UHRW said others who were progressive escaped justice, including those who planned it.

In a connection the time aft the attack, the IRA admitted its nine-minute informing had been inadequate.