NI Troubles: Widow calls for legacy bill to be scrapped

Elizabeth Morris says the UK government must rethink the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill

The widow of a man killed by the IRA has urged the UK government to scrap its controversial legacy bill.

Ronnie Finlay, who was a member of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), was shot dead in County Tyrone in August 1983.

The 32-year-old was leaving his civilian job at the former Adria factory in Strabane when he was killed.

The UK government needs to recognise "the hurt they are causing the families of innocent victims," his widow Elizabeth Morris has said.

"They would need to rethink what they are doing," she told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

"There should be no legacy bill," she added.

Mrs Morris said what the UK government is proposing "means murderers get away scot-free and we the families are left to bear that".

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The bill is currently progressing through Parliament despite opposition from bereaved families, Northern Ireland's five main political parties and the Irish government.

The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill would end Troubles-era cases and inquests and offer a conditional amnesty to those accused of killings.

Ronnie and Elizabeth had three young children when he was killed

A UK government spokesman said it was necessary to "do things differently…. in order to deliver greater information, accountability and acknowledgement to victims and families affected by the Troubles".

They said the legislation provides "a framework that will enable the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) to deliver effective legacy mechanisms, while complying with our international obligations".

The spokesperson said that a number of amendments have been added to the legislation "that address a number of key issues raised by stakeholders".

'Made to pay'

No-one has ever been convicted of her Mr Finlay's killing, which his widow described as a "sad thing".

"Everyone who takes a person's life should be brought to justice and made to pay for what they did," she said.

Mrs Morris said she was left to raise three young children, aged between nine years and nine months, after her husband's death.

"It still feels so raw and that pain is there there," she said.

"People say time heals, I have to tell you different, time does not heal."

On Sunday, Sinn Féin's deputy leader Michelle O'Neill said the Irish government should consider legal action if the UK refuses to withdraw its controversial bill.