Patsy Kelly: Attorney General U-turns on councillor killing inquest

Patsy Kelly's body was found in a County Fermanagh lake about 20 miles from where he worked in County Tyrone

Northern Ireland's attorney general has directed that a new inquest be held into the killing of a nationalist councillor almost 50 years ago after previously rejecting calls to do so.

Patsy Kelly was shot dead after being abducted on his way home from work in Trillick, County Tyrone, in 1974.

The 35-year-old's body was found weeks later in a lake. No-one has ever been convicted over the killing.

Attorney General Dame Brenda King confirmed the new inquest on Thursday.

In May, Dame Brenda rejected calls for a fresh inquest into his death, but told the High Court on Monday she would review the case.

In a letter to the Kelly family's solicitor, the Attorney General for Northern Ireland's office said: "It is difficult to see what more an inquest could add to the sum of knowledge."

A spokesperson for the attorney general added that the request had been given "careful and objective consideration".

"The matter can be re-visited should further relevant evidence come to light or further submissions be received," they said.

Mr Kelly's family said that decision had caused "enormous hurt" and his widow, Teresa, launched judicial review proceedings.

In May Mr Kelly's family said the decision to turn down their request for a fresh inquest had angered and dismayed them

In court on Monday, Desmond Fahy KC, who is representing Mrs Kelly, said: "This was a brutal murder of her husband where she properly seeks a fresh inquest."

He said there was "an urgency of the applicant's position" given the Troubles Legacy Bill that is currently making its way through Parliament.

Under amendments to the government's bill, Troubles-related inquests must be concluded by 1 May 2024.

Any ongoing inquest that has not reached a verdict or findings would be closed.

Mr Justice Scoffield was told Dame Brenda had pledged to make a "redetermination" decision by 30 June.

Earlier in 2022, a Police Ombudsman report identified inadequacies in the initial police investigation and found evidence of collusive behaviour.

The term "collusive behaviour" covers a broad range of behaviours, from deliberate wilful actions to "a look the other way" approach by investigators.

Although loyalists claimed responsibility for the murder, Mr Kelly's family have long believed soldiers in the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) were involved.