Sean Brown's family say they have no 'faith or trust' in the legacy body as the Supreme Court reserves judgment
From the Newshound archive · first published 27 October 2026 · last updated 28 October 2026.
The UK Supreme Court has reserved judgment on the government's appeal against a Belfast court ruling ordering a public inquiry into the 1997 murder of GAA chairman Sean Brown, 61. Brown was ambushed by loyalist paramilitaries at Bellaghy Wolfe Tones GAA Club, where he was shot six times in the head while closing the gates. More than 25 people were linked by intelligence to the killing, among them several state agents, yet no one has ever been convicted. Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant is contesting Belfast court rulings that declared the government's sustained refusal to hold an inquiry unlawful.
An RUC surveillance operation targeting a key murder suspect was stood down the night before Brown's killing and restarted the following morning.
Brown's daughter Clare Loughran, who was 19 when her father died, said it has been her 'whole adult life' fighting for justice across up to 60 court appearances.
The family rejects the government's preferred alternative — the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery — whose own head has conceded it lacks the full powers of a public inquiry.