IRSP spokesperson Michael McLaughlin has echoed concerns by the Brady family and the wider Republican community that the Police Ombudsman’s report into John Brady’s death in Strand Road PSNI station would be another example of British injustice in Ireland have been vindicated.
Mr McLaughlin stated; “As expected the ombudsman’s report has fallen short of any type of real recommendations or truth. Instead the Brady family were presented with a farcical document that shed little light on the events that took place in the consultation room in the Strand Road PSNI barracks on the 3rd of October 2009. The circumstances surrounding John Brady’s death will not be ignored by the IRSP or the wider Republican community as this tragic event epitomises the flaws in the current policing system in occupied Ireland.
Mr McLaughlin continued; “A system of policing that constantly abuses it’s powers to harass intimidate and jail members of the IRSP and other anti-GFA republicans for politically opposing the partitionist settlement.The psychological torture that John Brady endured throughout his period of incarceration is something we as Republicans, Socialists and activists will continue to highlight and expose.
Mr McLaughlin, who was a close friend of John Brady stated further; “The British put John Brady in a position that he could see no way out of, they purposely led him to believe that he was to be charged and his license revoked despite there being no evidence whatsoever that he was engaged in or planned to engage in militant republican activity, this in itself is a clear indication of the contempt the PSNI show for ex combatants. John was weeks away from full release when he died in enemy custody, he had been on record categorically stating “my war is over”.
“While John was in custody several members of the public who had witnessed the altercation that led to John’s re arrest contacted the Brady family and made it quite clear that they heard no threats issued by John during the incident and that they were willing to make statements to the PSNI to that affect, effectively quashing any case against John.
“The IRSP believe this information was purposely kept from John Brady and his legal adviser so that the psychological torture of John and threats of spending the rest of his life sentence in a British Prison could be continuously reiterated in the manner of a psychological hammer blow throughout PSNI goading.
“This mental torment that John suffered is what led to the tragic circumstances in the consultation room in Strand Road PSNI Station on the 3rd of October 2009 and the blame lies solely at the door of the British police force in Ireland.”
In paying tribute to John Brady, Michael McLaughlin concluded; “John was well known and respected by all shades of republicanism in Strabane, including the IRSM. He was a leader and a principled Republican who lived each day of his life as a solider of the Republic, he was beacon of light that others were drawn to, a patriot who sacrificed his entire life for the struggle and a man who will not easily be forgotten, a Republican who had a great influence on many peoples lives and someone who leaves a legacy that will be hard to follow.”
