Summary
The Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) has revealed that the murder of Bobby Moffett on 28 May 2010 on Shankhill Road, Belfast, was a result of the Ulster Volunteer Force's (UVF) actions.
As detailed in the ‘Twenty-Fourth Report of the Independent Monitoring Committee’ (HC 443), the Commission concluded that there were two main reasons for the murder and the way in which it was committed:
- to stop Mr Moffett's perceived flouting of Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) authority; and
- to send a message to the organisation and the community that this authority was not to be challenged.
In May 2007, the UVF issued a statement detailing their renounced violence, with the intention of transforming from a military into a civilian organisation.
The UVF’s proposed changes have since been reviewed and the IMC expressed growing confidence in the leadership of the organisation, with efforts made to reduce the size of the group and its criminality rate.
The Commission comments on the murder of Mr Moffett as a serious backward step after a period when all paramilitary groups other than the dissident republicans had moved decisively away from violence.
Lastly, the Commission has indicated that it will not recommend any sanctions against the UVF, but will keep the matter under close review until the next report on activity of all paramilitary groups at the end of October 2010.
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