Catholics considered legitimate targets by loyalists because they contributed to IRA, Winston ‘Winkie’ Rea trial told
Posted by Jim on November 28, 2020
In the dock: Winston Churchill Rea (aka Winkie Rea), at the opening of his trial at Belfast Crown Court on Monday
Michael Donnelly
November 25 2020 07:27 PM
Innocent Catholics were considered legitimate targets by roving loyalist gunmen because they had supposedly contributed to the coffers of the IRA, a loyalist paramilitary leader allegedly confessed on tape.
The tape, one of seven, was allegedly made by one-time Red Hand Commando head Winston Churchill Rea, for the so-called ‘Belfast Project’.
The project saw former loyalist and republicans allowing themselves to be interviewed by the Boston College about their terrorist past.
At one stage the 69-year-old also allegedly claimed there was a time when “buck-shee” Army privates handed over their SLR weapons to loyalist gunmen to fire into Catholic estates, as long as they provided their own ammunition.
The tapes, which were supposedly to remain confidential until his death, form the backbone of the prosecution case against the pensioner and the 19 offences he faces, allegedly committed between 1973 and 1996, including involvement in murder.ADVERTISING
The prosecution at his Belfast Crown Court Diplock-style, non-jury trial claim that Mr Rea, who alluded on tape to his identity as “Winston Winkie Rea”, is the person designated as “Interviewee L” and who confessed to the terrorist crimes he denies.
On Wednesday, during one tape section, ‘L’ was asked about the strategies of the RHC in the opening days of the Troubles between 1971 and 1972, to which he replied it was “his belief, if there hadn’t been a Protestant/loyalist backlash”, they would have been “driven into a United Ireland”.
He said “back in them days” the RHC, who were “prepared to enter enemy territory”, regarded ordinary Catholics as legitimate targets because they were seen almost every day, putting money into the “wooden collection boxes” of the IRA at the chapel gates as they left Mass.
Loyalists felt those monies were used to buy guns and bullets and the “Red Hand viewed those people contributing … were just as guilty as those who pulled the trigger”.
‘L’ went on to explain that while they much preferred to target and kill actual republicans because of the publicity from their IRA televised funerals, which provided “a moral-boost”, to the RHC leadership “the killing of ordinary Catholics was very much viewed as still part of the strategy”.
And with regard to the loyalist community, to ‘L’, they were “very much 100% behind us … no doubt about that”. The speaker said that doors in loyalist areas were always “left open for you”, and that “without the support of the community, you didn’t stand a chance”.
Later in that first interview, ‘L’ confided that when troops were initially deployed, “obviously the soldiers would have been favourable to loyalists”. He further claimed “so much so” soldiers had “no hesitation” in handing over their SLR weapons to loyalist gunmen to fire into Catholic housing estates.
The soldiers, who had to account for their ammunition, only handed over their rifles if the gunman could provide the correct ammo and ‘L’ even claimed to have witnessed it with his “own eyes”.
However, the speaker said this happened only between individual soldiers and loyalist gunmen, and that it was “just something” that came from privates themselves, “from the buck-shee privates”, it was “nothing orchestrated, it was just something, not from the top”.
Things changed, however, when that particular unnamed regiment was moved to be replaced by 2nd Para, and while there was still “a bit of a relationship” it was not the same.
‘L’ explained that 2nd Para operated a more “neutral” policy whereby “if loyalist broke the law they would come down hard on them and if republicans broke the law they would come down hard on them”.
The trail, of Mr Rea, AKA ‘Winkie Rea’, from the Springwell Road, in Groomsport, Co Down, continues.
The charges he denies include aiding and abetting, and conspiring to murder Catholic men John Devine in July 1989 and John O’Hara in April 1991.
Membership of the Red Hand Commando, aiding, abetting and conspiring to murder Catholics and conspiring to threaten to kill LVF leader Billy Wright in August 1996.
He has also pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and other terror-related charges, including conspiring to possess firearms secured from the Ulster Resistance paramilitary group on dates between November 1986 and October 1994.