Belfast Telegraph
16 October 2002
No evidence to hold killers, court told
By Ben Lowry
POLICE did not question anyone after the murder of a dissident republican in west Belfast two years ago, a court heard today.

An inquest was told that Joseph O'Connor (26) died instantly after being shot 10 times outside his mother's house in Ballymurphy in October 2000.

Inspector Sean McVea, an investigating officer on the murder inquiry, told the court that Mr O'Connor was believed to have been a senior member of the Real IRA and detectives believed that the Provisional IRA had carried out the killing.

Relatives of Mr O'Connor told the court that at various times police had told them that they were aware of the people who were responsible for the murder, but they did not have sufficient evidence to act against them.

Insp McVea said police believed that there were people in Ballymurphy, including Mr O'Connor's wider family circle, who knew who had carried out the killing but they would not help with the investigation.

One man, who only identified himself as an uncle of Mr O'Connor, asked Insp McVea, from the public gallery, if anyone had been questioned about the shooting. Insp McVea said they had not.

Coroner John Leckey said: "If it is the case that names were given to police and no one was questioned, I regard that as unsatisfactory."

Mr Leckey reminded the court that it was open to the coroner to request a new inquest if more information came to light after the hearing.

Mrs Margaret O'Connor told the court that police should have arrested her son on the morning of the killing when they called at his home to serve a summons for motoring offences, but Insp McVea said that they had not the power to arrest him.

Insp McVea told the inquest that the Provisional IRA controlled Ballymurphy, but there was a Real IRA presence centred on the Notorantonio family.

Anthony Notorantonio was with Mr O'Connor in a white Peugeot car at the time of the shooting.

Insp McVea said that Mr Notorantonio had been visited in prison after he was apprehended on unrelated terrorist charges but had refused to speak to police.

Mr Leckey said that Mr O'Connor had died from multiple gunshot wounds after he was shot by members of an organisation believed to be the Provisional IRA.
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