A CAMPAGNER for the truth about the McGurk's Bar Massacre has expressed his disappointment after the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) accepted the British Army's excuse for the disappearance of logs covering the hours after the explosion.

15 people were murdered and many more were injured when the UVF detonated a bomb in the North Queen Street bar on December 4, 1971.

'Ghost' copies of the logs proved that previously undisclosed British Army units had an overview of the bomb site and a British Army unit recorded a suspect car with three men in it leaving the scene.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) alleged that scanning errors had occurred when copying the hard copy of the files and the hard copies were no longer retained. The MoD could offer no proof of their destruction.

The families complained to the ICO about the disappearance of the critical evidence, but ICO has ruled against them.

The ruling read: "The Commissioner is also satisfied… the MoD’s explanation as to why sheets… appear to be missing to be a reasonable one.' 

It continues: "'On the balance of probabilities the Commissioner is therefore satisfied that the MOD does not hold copies of the further log sheets identified by the complainant."

Ciarán MacAirt, a grandson of two of the McGurk’s Bar victims, raised a complaint with the ICO against the MoD relating to the disappearance of significant historical records of 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers .

The missing pages of the Battalion logs covered key minutes and hours in the aftermath of the explosion which claimed the lives of fifteen civilians including two children.

'Ghost' serials of the missing logs were imprinted on files discovered by Ciarán. These proved that British Army units had oversight of the bomb site and reported a suspect car with three men in it leaving the scene.

Previous historical investigations alleged that there were no British Army units in the vicinity and did not confirm the testimony of a witness who saw a loyalist bomber plant the explosives in the hallway of the bar before fleeing the scene in a car.

Ciarán MacAirt said: “This is chilling and very disturbing for our families. We can prove that the British Ministry of Defence and its armed forces lied about the McGurk’s Bar Massacre in 1971 and colluded with the Royal Ulster Constabulary to blame our loved ones.

"The Ministry of Defence knew the bar was attacked and the victims were innocent. The Ministry of Defence lied to the families, media, public and Coroner at the original inquest.

"The Ministry of Defence withheld evidence from our families and failed historic investigations for over half a century. The Ministry of Defence has admitted that it is withholding evidence from me up to this very day.

"Nevertheless, we are expected to believe on the balance of probabilities that the Ministry of Defence is telling the truth now even though I have caught it out again and proved that it has disappeared critical evidence in a mass murder.

"The Ministry of Defence cannot even prove that it destroyed this evidence, when it was destroyed and who ordered its destruction.

"We may never know what other crucial information the missing British Army files record as the Ministry of Defence has disappeared them, but what is certain is that the British Ministry of Defence is not telling the truth about how it was involved in the murder of 15 civilians in the McGurk’s Bar Massacre and its subsequent cover-up.”