Loyalists kill Tyrone man
The County Tyrone nationalist shot dead by the UDA on Saturday
was apparently set up by the RUC, who wrongly believed he was a
member of Sinn Féin or a party worker.
Dermot Hackett, of Braehill Park, Castlederg, was ambushed and
shot dead shortly before 9am as he drove his bread van along the
Drumquin to Omagh Road.
The loyalist murder gang had repeatedly fired through the
driver's door of his van. At least 16 empty shell cases were
recovered from the scene.
The loyalist gang apparently made its getaway in a beige Opel
Manta car which had been stolen earlier and which was later found
abandoned nearby.
Dermott Hackett (37) was married with a 9-year-old daughter. His
wife, Sylvia, is expecting their second child.
Responsibility for his assassination was swiftly claimed on
behalf of the Ulster Freedom Fighters, a flag of convenience for
the UDA.
A particularly sinister aspect of the murder was that Dermot
Hackett, a former area president of the St Vincent de Paul
Society and a well-known local musician, was apparently believed
by the RUC to be a member of Sinn Féin or a party election
worker.
No more than an hour after the shooting, the RUC was telling
journalists that the victim was a ``Sinn Féin member''.
Before his death, Hackett suffered regular harassment by the
crown forces. For example, he was frequently stopped five times
on the same road while doing his bread deliveries.
Sean Begley, Sinn Féin's Mid-Ulster representative, and Charlie
McHugh, Sinn Féin's local councillor and a close neighbour of the
dead man,d directly accused the RUC or UDR of involvement,tn in
Dermot Hackett's murder. They firmly rejected any suggestion that
Dermot Hackett had any connections with the Republican Movement.
Sean Begley said: ``While republicans would not expect DUP MP
Willie McCrea to condemn or be concerned about the assassination
of republicans, the fact remains that he has remained silent
about the killing of a completely uninvolved Catholic. Quite
obviously, Mr McCrea detects, like Sinn Féin, the hand of the RUC
or UDR in his killing and this explains his silence.''
Phoblacht 28 May 1987
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