EU cash for McCartney sisters to sue the IRA

The family of murdered Belfast man Robert McCartney today won the backing of the European Parliament in their quest for justice.

In an unprecedented move, Euro MPs voted to offer cash aid to help the family mount a private prosecution against the suspected killers.

Father of two Mr McCartney, 33, was stabbed - allegedly by IRA members - after a pub brawl in January. Police met a wall of silence, with witnesses too scared to co-operate.

Appeals from the victim's five sisters for the paramilitaries to stop blocking the inquiry have so far gone unheeded. The family asked Brussels for a £250,000 donation to fund a private prosecution against the leading suspects if the official investigation fails to bring them to court.

A motion condemning the "violence and criminality of the self-styled Irish Republican Army", and endorsing the cash donation, today won the support of a majority of the 732-member European Parliament. Its budget committee must approve the cash donation.