The bombed flat at Kildrum Gardens where three people were killed in August 1988.
THE family of a ‘Good Samaritan’ killed by a Provisional IRA booby trap bomb are to take legal action against the British Government over the issue of compensation for victims of Libyan imported Semtex.
Eugene Dalton was one of three people killed after triggering a booby trap device while checking on a neighbour at Kildrum Gardens in the Creggan district in August 1988.
His became known as the ‘Good Samaritan’ case as Mr Dalton, 55, and two friends went to check on a neighbour who had been kidnapped earlier by the IRA.
Sheila Lewis, 60, also lost her life. Gerard Curran was also injured and died seven months later.
The issue of compensation from Libya over the supply of explosives to the IRA is currently being investigated by the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.
MPs om the committee want to know how effective government efforts have been in seeking redress for victims.
The Dalton family lawyer Christopher Stanley said: “What they want is to use the committee to ask questions about what, at all, did the British government do to block compensation from Libya back in the 2000s.”
Claims were made at the NI Affairs Committee that deals were done between Mr Blair and former US President George W Bush to limit the amount of compensation liable by the Libyan regime.
“Mr Blair cannot be compelled to come before the select committee, but our legal action now is to find out if there was a route to compensation and if it was blocked,” Mr Stanley said.
“If so, the family want to know why.
“We will have a conference with counsel tomorrow to discuss the form of legal proceedings we will be taking against the British government for its negligence in failing to secure compensation for the family.”
Following the murder of Mr Dalton, the IRA’s ‘Derry Brigade’ later apologised.
The IRA later admitted in a statement that it planted the booby trap device in a bid to kill British soldiers in the area.
The murder of Mr Dalton was later investigated by officer of the Police Ombudsman.
In a report in 2013, the Ombudsman said the RUC at the time had failed to warn residents of the bomb.
He said there was a failure by the police to uphold the right of life of Mr Dalton.
But he added that he could not substantiate the claim that the police were trying to protect an informer.
At the time, Mr Dalton’s daughter Rosaleen Quigley said: “My father was an innocent man and he had a right to life.
“We are going to get justice for him.
“We had made four complaints and fourth complaint was not upheld by the Ombudsman.
“We had been working on the lines that the police had been protecting an informer.
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