Troubles body launches probe into 1982 IRA murder of Cookstown RUC reservist John Eagleson
A probe has been launched into the murder of RUC reservist, John Eagleson, from Cookstown, who was killed in 1982
A TROUBLES legacy body has launched a probe into the IRA murder of RUC man John Eagleson in 1982.
A married father of three, the reserve officer was shot dead on his way to work at his day job, as a lorry driver at a cement plant in Cookstown.
Aged 49 and a part-time constable, at around 6.30am on the morning of October 1, 1982, he was riding his Honda motorbike on a country road a couple of miles outside Cookstown when he was gunned down – suffering fatal wounds when he was blasted in the chest.
Roughly half an hour later several men travelling along Upper Kildress Road in a car spotted the motorcycle lying on a grass verge near a junction with Drum Road.
When the men got out of their vehicle to investigate, they discovered John lying face down in grass next to the roadway.
Believing he’d been in a crash, they went for help at a nearby house where the owner called the emergency services. A doctor attended at 7.45am, when he pronounced Mr Eagleson dead at the scene.
There are no known eyewitnesses to the shooting, though a local in the area reported hearing gunshots at around 6.30am.
Troubles legacy body Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) is now investigating John’s killing, and has appealed for information.
The ICRIR stated that John left his home on Orritor Road at 6am that morning, setting out on rural route that took him to Blue Circle Cement Works on Sandholes Road.
Riding a white Honda 90 motorcycle, registration mark BJI 5674, his journey is described as “surrounded primarily by open farmland interspersed with isolated dwellings”.
The probe is being led by ICRIR assistant commissioner Amanda Logan, who said the late RUC reservist “has been missed dearly by his family, who have come to the commission seeking answers about what happened that awful morning”.
She said: “Many years have passed since John Eagleson’s killing and there may be individuals who have lived all this time with knowledge of what happened.
“I appeal to anyone with information that could assist our investigation to come forward. What you know, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, could prove vital in uncovering the truth for John’s family.”
Previous appeals for witnesses, she added, have helped uncover new information that has assisted ICRIR probes.
A member of a Cookstown Orange lodge, Mr Eagleson had reportedly been a member of the UDR before spending nine years as an RUC reservist.
He left behind two daughters and a son, the latter of whom was just 13 years old at the time. His son later described John as “a gentleman, a hard working man, a good man” who was out working every day and “always willing to help neighbours in the farming community”.
On the 40th anniversary of his murder an appeal for information was made by the police, who revealed they believe the killer escaped in a yellow Datsun model 100A that had been highjacked in the area the previous night.