Irish Soldiers' Killer Granted Transfer

The families of Irish army soldiers murdered while on duty in the Lebanon have expressed concerns over the killer’s transfer to a Northern Ireland prison.

Belfast man, Michael McAleavey, who has served almost 25 years in prison for the murder of three of his Irish Army colleagues, is to be transferred to Northern Ireland.

After many attempts, he has now successfully applied to be transferred from Mountjoy Jail in Dublin to be closer to his family.

McAleavey received a life sentence for the October 1982 killings in Lebanon, where the soldiers were UN peacekeepers. He was 21 at the time.

McAleavey shot fellow privates Peter Burke and Thomas Murphy and Corporal Gary Morrow at Tibnin Bridge, South Lebanon, on 27 October 1982.

The families of the murdered soldiers have expressed their upset at the news. They said it had come at a particularly difficult time, just days before the 25th anniversary of the murders.

If he applies for parole in the future, any decision will be taken by the Prison Service of Northern Ireland, a system that still allows for 50% remission.

However, it is unclear if the ex-soldier would be eligible for this already controversial early release, once he is behind bars in Northern Ireland.

He is one of the longest-serving prisoners in Ireland, and has fought for several years to be repatriated to Northern Ireland, so that he can be closer to his family.

In a recent interview he said: "I hope that this appeal is seen only for what it is, a humanitarian application for transfer to another prison that is close to my family."

(BMcC)