Three people injured in IRA bomb attacks have taken former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams to court in London as a new case begins. This case began on Monday at the Royal Courts of Justice. It is going to go on for about seven days. The three men want the court to say that Gerry Adams is personally responsible for the decisions. That led to car bomb attacks in London and Manchester in 1973 and 1996.
The three men who are taking Gerry Adams to court are John Clark, Jonathan Ganesh and Barry Laycock. The 1973 bombing outside the Old Bailey in London injured John Clark. The 1996 attacks injured Jonathan Ganesh and Barry Laycock. One in London’s Docklands and the other near Manchester’s Arndale shopping centre. These men are only asking for £1 in damages. Their lawyers say this is not about money it is about people knowing what really happened. Gerry Adams being held accountable for IRA bomb attacks.
The 1973 Old Bailey bombing hurt than 200 people and damaged a lot of buildings. The bomb was brought from Belfast to Liverpool by car ferry before it was used in the attack. Than twenty years later there was another big attack in February 1996 in London’s Docklands. An IRA bomb hidden in a lorry killed two people and hurt others. A months later in June 1996 a very powerful bomb exploded near Manchester’s Arndale shopping centre hurting more than 200 people. This was the powerful bomb explosion in Britain since the Second World War.
The team of lawyers for the victims will present evidence from witnesses including former IRA members and retired police officers and soldiers. Two of the witnesses will not say their names. Will give evidence from behind a screen.
Gerry Adams says he had nothing to do with the attacks. He says he was never a member of the IRA and had no role in the bombings. Gerry Adams is going to give evidence in his defence next week. Gerry Adams also says that some witnesses may say he was responsible just because he was a republican figure but Gerry Adams plans to challenge these claims. Read More
The case was started in 2022 just before a new law stopped civil claims related to the Northern Ireland Troubles. The people who started the case raised than £100,000 through crowdfunding to support the legal action. They say they are seeking justice not only for themselves but also for other people harmed by IRA violence.
The judge, Mr Justice Swift will decide if Gerry Adams is legally responsible based on what’s most likely to be true. If Gerry Adams successfully defends the claim he will not be able to get his costs from the people who started the case. The Irish Republican Army was responsible for about 1,700 deaths. Gerry Adams was once charged with being a member of the IRA. Authorities dropped the case due to insufficient evidence. Gerry Adams has also faced questions about his alleged links to the IRA in the past, including during the Ballymurphy inquest in Belfast and a libel case against the BBC in Dublin.
