British police have uncovered fresh forensic evidence in the 1991 murder of Irish farmer Tom Oliver by the Provisional IRA, a development that could identify suspects and challenge the government's plan to end prosecutions for Troubles-era killings.
Detectives from Operation Kenova, the investigation into unsolved Northern Ireland murders, announced on Monday that DNA evidence had been recovered from items tested during the initial inquiry. Jon Boutcher, the former Bedfordshire chief constable leading the operation, said: 'We have made good progress... including recovering new DNA evidence. But we still need more information to bring those responsible to justice.'
The renewed possibility of catching the killers coincides with Boris Johnson's proposal, announced last week, to grant what critics call a de facto amnesty for former security personnel and paramilitaries accused of Troubles murders. The plan would impose a statute of limitations on prosecutions and end inquests and civil cases.
Victims' groups, all Northern Irish political parties, and the Irish government oppose the plan, viewing it as an attempt to shield former soldiers from prosecution. A small group of relatives is set to protest outside Downing Street on Tuesday, including Julie Hambleton, whose sister died in the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, and Joe Campbell, whose father, a Royal Ulster Constabulary member, was murdered by the UVF in 1977.
Tom Oliver, a 43-year-old father of seven, was abducted near his farm in County Louth on 19 July 1991 and found dead the next day near Belleeks, County Armagh, shot six times with injuries consistent with torture. The IRA suspected him of being a Garda informer, a claim his family vehemently denied. The murder was later alleged to have been committed to protect the identity of a British agent within the IRA, codenamed Stakeknife.
Operation Kenova, originally set up to investigate Stakeknife, has taken new statements and is pursuing leads in Ireland and Australia. Boutcher appealed for information about a grey Ford Orion car used to transport Oliver's body and urged a female witness who called the police information line to come forward. The Oliver family said in a statement: 'After 30 years, there is now light at the end of a very dark tunnel.'
