THE daughter of a man killed by the notorious Glennane Gang at the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland has called for truth and justice for her father and other victims on the 46th anniversary of his death.
Denise Mullen is the deputy leader of the all-island Irish political party Aontú and a Councillor for Mid Ulster.
Her father Denis Mullen, an SDLP activist, was shot dead at his home near Moy in Co. Tyrone on September 1, 1975, at the age of 35.
Ms Mullen, then aged 4, was in the house at the time of his killing and found her father’s lifeless body following the attack.
Denis Mullen was shot dead at his home in Co. Tyrone in September 1975Garfield Beattie, a member of the notorious Glennane Gang - a collection of Ulster loyalists, which included members of the RUC, UDR and UVF, who carried our attacks against Catholics and Irish nationalists in the 1970s - was convicted of Mr Mullen’s murder.
He served 16 years behind bars for his part in the killing before being released under the Good Friday Agreement.
This month, on the anniversary of her father’s killing at the hands of the gang, Ms Mullen called for justice for all its victims - from both the British and Irish governments.
“The decades since my father’s death have been ones where the pain and horror of that terrible night still live long in my memory and the memories of my family members,” Ms Mullen said.
“My mother suffers PTSD from that night to this day. And for 40 years, both myself and my mother were unable to visit his grave due to the pain and trauma.”
Denise's parents on their wedding dayThe Aontú councillor explained that in 2019, her family exhumed her father’s grave to move his remains “so he could finally be at peace and we could visit him”.
“To honour my father’s memory, every day I have fought to get justice for what happened that night,” she added.
“But that fight has been consistently and continuously road-blocked for both myself, and others fighting for justice for the victims of the Glenanne Gang.
“Only this year, did I receive death threats in a letter sent to my home from the UVF man who killed my father.”
Despite Beattie serving time for her father’s murder, Ms Mullen claims the family have yet to win justice for him as the British government’s alleged involvement with the Glennane Gang has never been “truly investigated”.
“Truth, accountability and justice have never been brought to the North due to the simple fact that the British government’s actions have never been truly investigated and perpetrators held accountable,” she said.
Media coverage at the tome of Ms Mullen's father's death“One of the most disappointing elements of this fight for justice has been the conduct of successive Taoisigh from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael who have dragged their heels in terms of engaging with the victims and their families,” she claimed.
She added: “It is crucial that the Irish government meets with the many victims of the gang and their families.
“It is essential that the state takes seriously its responsibility to pursue truth and justice for the people who were killed or maimed and their families.
“It is time for them to fulfil their most basic duty to these citizens.”
