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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Niall Deeney

Tyrone GAA confirms support for family of murdered Derry GAA official

Tyrone GAA has confirmed that it intends to raise its "concerns" about the progress of an inquest into the murder of a Derry GAA official in 1997.

Sean Brown, 61, a GAA official, was abducted and killed by loyalists as he locked the gates at Bellaghy Wolfe Tones Club in May 1997. No-one has been convicted of his murder.

Read more: State agencies accused of ‘deliberately delaying’ information over GAA official's murder

An inquest into the death began in March.

At a review hearing on Tuesday, state agencies were accused of “deliberately delaying” the release of information about the death so the inquest could not be completed.

Coroner, Mr Justice Patrick Kinney, directed that the delayed proceedings would resume hearing evidence next January and be completed by February.

However, with the process of handing over security force documents around the murder not yet completed, a barrister for the PSNI said he believed the proposed agenda “cannot be met”.

This led the barrister for the Brown family to describe the situation as “a disgrace”.

Tyrone GAA has now issued a statement formally pledging the organisation's support to Brown family, Bellaghy Wolfe Tone’s GAA and Derry GAA.

A spokesperson for Tyrone GAA said it intends to raise its concerns "with the GAA at provincial and national level".

In a statement issued to Belfast Live on Thursday, a spokesperson said: "At the most recent meeting of Coiste Chontae Thír Eoghain on 13ú Meitheamh 2023, delegates voted unanimously in favour of a proposal which pledged our full support to the Brown family, Bellaghy Wolfe Tone’s GAA and Derry GAA in their efforts to ensure the inquest into Sean Brown’s murder is completed without further delay.

"The news that delays threaten to further frustrate the inquest are worrying and raise a number of concerns for the Brown family, and many other families who find themselves in a similar situation. Tyrone GAA intend to raise these concerns with the GAA at provincial and national level."

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