Parties united in call for the release of a Police Ombudsman report into the Kingsmill massacre

A motion was passed at Stormont on Monday evening following the conclusion of a long-running inquest into the killing of 10 Protestant workmen at the village in 1976.

They were killed when a minibus bringing them home from work was ambushed by a gang of at least 12 men posing as British soldiers.

a coroner ruled that the shooting was an ‘overtly sectarian attack by the IRA’. The Provisional IRA has denied the murders and nobody has ever been convicted of carrying out the atrocity.

Introducing her motion to the Assembly, DUP MLA Joanne Bunting said the Police Ombudsman should release its report into the massacre.

She added that she she was supporting the attack’s sole survivor, Alan Black, and other campaigners.

Mr Black, 81, is in poor health and fears he will go to his grave before finding out answers he has campaigned decades for.

Ms Bunting said the DUP is backing the families in their pursuit of justice.

She said: “The Kingsmill massacre was one of the most horrific and blatantly sectarian atrocities in our history.

“The brutal murder of 10 innocent Protestant workmen by the IRA remains a painful reminder of the hatred that fuelled terrorism and robbed so many of their futures.

“That some in high office suggest there was no alternative to such sectarian murder is utterly repugnant.”

Ms Bunting, who is chair of Stormont’s Justice Committee, described the fact that the families were fighting statutory bodies in their search for truth as appalling, and accused the Police Ombudsman of withholding a report into the atrocity.

The Ombudsman has previously said it would be published before May next year, but Ms Bunting said it is ‘cruel’ that the report has not been provided to families.

“This is no way to treat innocent victims, it is shameful,” she said.

“Why the hold-up? Why are they not handing it over? These families are entitled to the information and are entitled to the report expeditiously – they’ve been through enough.”

Recent government decisions on legacy issues have suggested ‘some murders are more deserving of investigation than others’, according to Ms Bunting.

“Kingsmill offers the government the chance to address this imbalance and show genuine support for victims seeking truth and transparency,” she said.

Supporting the motion, Sinn Fein MLA Linda Dillon said: “We have repeatedly called for a human-rights compliant approach to legacy cases and issues for all conflict-related incidents.”

Ms Dillon added: “All victims and survivors and their families are entitled to receive truth and justice - irrespective of the circumstances surrounding the death or serious injury, irrespective of their political or religious persuasion, irrespective of which organisation or individual was responsible.”

Representatives from the UUP, Alliance, SDLP, TUV, and People Before Profit also said they were supporting the motion.

For their part, the Police Ombudsman said it is committed to providing Mr Black and the Kingsmill families with its findings as soon as it possibly can.

A spokesman said: “Our investigation is complete and we are currently drafting our conclusions.

“Once ready, these will be provided without delay.”