February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Jean McBride, the dead man’s mother, welcomed the intervention of five of U.S. senators who called for an investigation into the awarding of the contract to a firm led by Tim Spicer.
He was the former Scots Guard who was commanding officer in North Belfast when her son, aged 19, was murdered in 1992. Spicer later claimed that McBride “probably” had a weapon which locals disposed of. He also claimed that McBride had tried to lure his soldiers into a trap and that the two men convicted should never have been prosecuted. Spicer’s claims, which caused great hurt to the family, were emphatically rejected at trial.
Responding, Jean McBride said it had comforted her that such high-profile support had come from the U.S.
“Even the U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry, has taken this on board and spoken out against this contract,” she said. “We are awaiting judgment from the British courts in our battle to have the soldiers thrown out of the British Army and it’s great to see that our family is not alone”.
Others concerned include Sens. Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd and Charles Schumer, who all lent their support to the campaign. The Irish National Caucus is also seeking to have the U.S. Department of Defence cancel the contract.
The five Senators have written to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, urging him direct the Inspector General to investigate how the contract came to be awarded.
SDLP justice spokesperson Alban Maginness also said the U.S. government should cancel the $160 million security contract. “In my view Spicer is unfit to hold any position in which he might ever have charge of people with guns in their hands,” he said.
“Two of his men shot Peter McBride in the back. They were convicted of murder, but Spicer objected to them even having to answer for their crime. Now, they are pointing guns at Iraqis.”
“Spicer’s career of infamy continued when his company supplied arms to Sierra Leone, in contravention of a UN embargo. Whatever chance there is of establishing peace and democracy in Iraq must surely be made more difficult by the official involvement of gun-runners and protectors of murderers.”