McCartney family renew appeal for witnesses

11/03/2005 - 07:34:04
The family of murdered Belfast man Robert McCartney has issued a fresh appeal for witnesses to come forward after meeting with Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams.

Mr McCartney, a 33-year-old father-of-two, was beaten and stabbed to death outside a pub in Belfast on January 30. The murder was blamed on senior IRA members.

The murder led to a backlash against the republican movement in the nationalist Short Strand area, with the McCartneys accusing the IRA of shielding the killers and intimidating witnesses.

The IRA responded by expelling three of its members, encouraging witnesses to come forward and even offering to shoot those it believes were responsible for the murder.

However, the McCartneys claim people are still too afraid to provide evidence and the message from the IRA is not getting through to people on the ground.

Speaking after last night's meeting with Mr Adams, Catherine McCartney said it was frustrating that nobody had been charged in connection with the murder.