BRITISH police informants were behind the murders and attempted murders of at least 27 people by loyalist paramilitaries in the north of Ireland, the police ombudsman said today.

It identified eight Ulster Defence Association members that were linked to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) as part of the Operation Achille investigations.

Marie Anderson found intelligence failures and “collusive behaviours” by the RUC, saying that concerns raised by the families of the victims and survivors were “legitimate and justified.”