Belfast loyalist Bobby Moffet was murdered because the Ulster Volunteer Force leadership wanted to send a message that it is not to be challenged, the Independent Monitoring Commission has concluded.
Mr Moffett (43) was shot by two masked men wearing high visibility jackets on the corner of Shankill Road and Conway Street in Belfast on May 28th. He was attacked at about 1pm in front of a dozens of people, including young children. He died later in hospital.
Police said it was a cold-blooded and ruthless attack.
He had been associated with both UVF and the Red Hand Commando and was convicted of two robbery offences in 1991 and 1995 for which he had been sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison.
The IMC report said there had been tensions between Mr Moffett and his family and the local UVF brigade for a number of years. “An element in this tension was, we believe, the alleged anti-social conduct of one particular member of the family.” It said this person had been subjected to a UVF punishment attack and other family members had been intimidated.
It said Mr Moffett had confronted the local UVF commander shortly before his death, visiting his home and causing substantial damage to his car. It said this precipitated the murder.
“He had behaved in ways which, in the eyes of the UVF, appeared to disregard the standing of the organisation, and he threatened some leading local figures in particular,” it said. “Killing Mr Moffett was a way of dealing with the perceived threat.”
The IMC said Mr Moffett’s killing was sanctioned at the highest level within the UVF command structure. It also said he was “publicly executed” to send a message to UVF associates and the community about challenging the group’s leadership.
Senior UVF leaders could have prevented the murder has they wished, the report concluded.
“Mr Moffett died because others had more regard for their own standing and that of the UVF than they did for his life or for the political consequences for the organisation and more particularly for the PUP.”
It said the murder represents “a serious backward step” after a period when all the paramilitary groups other than dissident republicans had moved away from violence.
It noted that the UVF issued a statement in May 2007 in which it said that it would renounce violence and transform itself from a military into a civilian organisation.
Despite this, the organisation remained heavily involved in criminality and, the IMC, did not decommission its arms for over two years. The commission said at the time of the decommissioning, it warned some weapons had been retained. “This murder suggests this was indeed the case,” it said.
The IMC commends the UVF leadership for its moves towards a peaceful course, particularly the “tight rein” it held during this year’s parade season.
“But when it abuses its power, as it did with this murder, such leadership cannot expect to escape either responsibility or criticism,” it said. “If this murder is to mark the end of the use of physical force it will require a more profound change of culture and attitude by the leadership and the organisation.”
However, it said the murder was not enough in itself to recommend that the Northern Ireland secretary Owen Paterson re-specify the UVF. Paramilitary organisations are specified by the British government when they are believed to be engaged in terrorist activities and not observing ceasefires. The UVF was de-specified in July 2008.
“We still believe that the leadership of the organisation wants to pursue the 2007 strategy, notwithstanding what we say above about a reversion to old ways on this occasion and the questions this raises about whether the UVF is gradually going out of business as a paramilitary organisation.”
It said the murder has potential implications for the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) and warned that former UVF associates may also be at risk.
PUP leader Dawn Purvis, who took over at the helm of the UVF-aligned party following the death of David Ervine in January 2007, stood down in June in protest at Mr Moffett’s killing. She was the party's sole MLA and now sits in the Assembly as an Independent. Former PUP deputy leader David Rose also quit in protest.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern today described the killing as a "callous" murder.
"It was a despicable act and it is clear from the report where responsibility lies," he said. "Such behaviour clearly has no part to play in the future of the people of this island."
