Gerry Adams courtroom case dropped: Victims of Provisional IRA bombings in England withdraw their damages declare towards former Sinn Fein president
Three victims of Provisional IRA bombings in England have withdrawn their damages claim against former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, their legal team has told the High Court.
Adams was being sued for £1 in damages by three men injured in the blasts in the 1970s and 1990s.
John Clark, a victim of the 1973 Old Bailey bombing in London; Jonathan Ganesh, a 1996 London Docklands bombing victim; and Barry Laycock, a victim of the 1996 Arndale shopping centre bombing in Manchester, all alleged that Mr Adams was a leading member of the Provisional IRA on those dates, including of its Army Council.
Adams denied the allegations and was defending the claim, telling the court earlier this week that he had ‘no involvement whatsoever’ in the bombings and was never a member of the Provisional IRA.
On Friday, the last day of the two-week trial, Anne Studd KC, for the victims, told the High Court that the claim would be discontinued with ‘no order as to costs’ after ‘proceedings developed overnight.’
Judge Jonathan Swift said: ‘The claim is discontinued and there is no order for costs.’
He later added: ‘A lot of work has gone in [to the case] and I appreciate that.’
Mr Adams was not in court on Friday.
Gerry Adams was not present in court today to hear the claimants had discontinued their civil action against him following a two-week trial
In written submissions for the trial, Ms Studd said that the three men claimed that none of the bombings ‘took place without the knowledge and agreement’ of Adams in his role in the Provisional IRA and of its seven-man Army Council.
In his evidence, Adams said that opponents of Sinn Fein, of which he was president from 1983 to 2018, ‘have repeatedly sought to conflate’ the party with the Provisional IRA, and stressed that they are ‘separate organisations.’
He continued that he had ‘no involvement in or advance knowledge of’ any of the bombings, and was ‘never a member of the IRA or its Army Council’.
Edward Craven KC, for Adams, told the court in his closing submissions that evidence that Adams was involved in the bombings was ‘extremely limited and we say bordering on non-existent.’
He also said the claims had been brought years too late.
In their evidence, the three men said the reasons they did not bring claims earlier were that they did not realise they could do so, could not afford it, were suffering from mental or physical injuries and feared violent reprisals.
