The chairman of Chelsea Football Club, Mr Ken Bates, has offered a £100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the deaths of three boys in their home in Co Antrim yesterday.
Mr Bates (66), who used to live in Dublin, described himself as someone who was raised as a Protestant and was now a "lapsed Catholic convert". He said he was making his offer because he understood the roots of the conflict at Drumcree on both sides.
He said after hearing about the deaths of Richard Quinn (10) and his brothers Mark (9) and Jason (7) in their house in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, he was "seething" and wanted to see the criminals responsible put in prison. "You can debate the rights and wrongs of nationalism and Ulster loyalism. But after what happened last night with these three kids they could have been my grandchildren I decided it was time for someone to stand up."
The Chelsea chairman, who was born in London but lived in Dublin for seven years during the 1970s, said he was not seeking publicity and the reward was simply "a private demonstration from one individual that enough is enough."
He said he did not wish to become involved in Northern Ireland on one side or the other. "I am quite sure that Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams would both condemn the way these boys died. It is out of order, beyond the pale. "I don't want people waving my Union Jack committing atrocities and I don't want people waving the Irish tricolour committing them either", he said.