Plea over murdered journalist

Murdered journalist Martin O'Hagan

More resources should be made available for a police investigation into the murder of a reporter, the National Union of Journalists has said.

Martin O'Hagan, who was an investigative reporter with the newspaper, the Sunday World, was shot dead near his Lurgan home on 28 September 2001.

Hardline loyalists were blamed for the killing. It is believed that he came too close to revealing details of the involvement of the Loyalist Volunteer Force in drugs dealing.

Speaking on Thursday, the second anniversary of his death, NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said the union was "deeply disappointed" that those responsible for his murder had not been apprehended.

"It is important that the necessary resources should be made available so that the chief constable can accelerate this investigation and the investigation into the death of other workers," he said.

Earlier this year, Chief Constable Hugh Orde assured a delegation from the NUJ that all suspects in the case had been interviewed, but there had been no breakthrough in the investigation.

Irish secretary of the NUJ Seamus Dooley said "that the past year had been marked by loyalist threats against journalists, including Mr O'Hagan's colleagues at the Sunday World and by the intimidation of journalists at the Andersonstown News Group".

"Journalists will not be intimidated by threats, from whatever quarter and NUJ members will not be prevented from doing their work by those who resort to violence," Mr Dooley said.