UVF gun attack survivors awarded millions in compensation

Eight survivors of a UVF gun attack at a County Down pub have been awarded compensation totalling millions of pounds from the PSNI and the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

The exact figure was not disclosed during a High Court hearing in Belfast, but it is believed to be one of the largest payouts involving a Troubles case.

One man, Peter McCormack, 42, died when two gunmen opened fire inside the Thierafurth Inn in Kilcoo in 1992.

The bar was full of customers who were about to take part in a charity darts match.

Eight survivors sued over allegations of state collusion in the attack.

In a statement, the PSNI said: "The terms of the settlement are confidential and out of respect for those involved, we will not publicly discuss or comment on the specifics of the case."

Four years ago, the High Court ruled the PSNI had failed to carry out an effective investigation.

One of the suspects was a member of the British Army's Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).

The UVF said they had been trying to kill a named republican who was not at the pub at the time and who they had targeted using photo montages taken from a UDR base.

The gang was also involved in other murders in County Down, including the Loughinisland massacre.

In 2016, a Police Ombudsman report stated at least three individuals and their families, directly associated with the UVF in south County Down, were members of the UDR.

It added that there had been no sustained response by the police to disrupt their activities.