Paul McIlwaine Says Voices of Victims are Silenced by Legal System; Launches Website for Justice in Case of Murdered Son David

[Click here to be directed to the McIlwaine’s site.]

Belfast, 9 December 2008—The family of murdered teen David McIlwaine has just launched a website in David’s memory and in support of the family’s ongoing struggle for justice following the murder of 18-year-old David and friend Andrew Robb in 2000 by members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).

David’s father Paul McIlwaine hopes to use the site, located atwww.justicefordavidmcilwaine.com, to both celebrate David’s life and to voice the McIlwaine family’s views on their current battle in the courts. News reports, commentary and photo galleries are available and updated regularly on the site.

“We have set up a forum to share our views and concerns through a website because our voices—the voices of victims and their families—are silenced by Northern Ireland’s criminal justice system,” said McIlwaine.

“David’s life was taken from us at a very young age and in an incomprehensibly cruel and violent manner, and there are no words to express our terrible loss. Over the years since the murder the police have given us conflicting information; we’ve had to sit back and hear about the irresponsible mishandling of the evidence; and were helpless to stop the State from making a deal with a known loyalist paramilitary who was directly involved in Andrew’s and my son’s killings. Mark Burcombe is now a free man for becoming a supergrass—a slap on the wrist for such a brutal crime.

“I can only describe my family’s experience these past 8 years as a living nightmare and a life sentence. We have lost our son, our home and our business and our lives are consumed now by seeking justice—justice that continues to be denied us by the likes of Burcombe, Revels, and the police and the PPS.

“JusticeforDavidMcIlwaine.com is a way for our family and our supporters to keep David’s memory alive and to share our campaign for justice with the world. Our voices must be heard if justice is to be served,” McIlwaine continued.

The launch of the website coincides with the recent opening of Steven Leslie Brown’s (aka Revels) murder trial in Belfast Crown Court. Campaigning father Paul McIlwaine has international support for his efforts, and met with top US politicians including President Bush’s Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, Ambassador Paula Dobriansky, to discuss the case in Washington, DC in 2007. Irish American political organizations such as the Irish American Unity Conference and the Ancient Order of Hibernians support the McIlwaines in their campaign for justice.