Date

Name

Age

Sex

Reli-gion

Affili-ation

Alleged Perpe-trator

Location Town / Area

Location County / Country

Details

Category

Arrests / Prosecutions

Sources

Arrest / Prosecution Details

McDermott was shot at his home by the UVF [1]

His wife was shot twice in the throat but survived.  Their 3½ year old daughter witnessed the attack [2]

He was the son-in-law of Larne Cllr. William Cunning who received letter bomb in 1991 [3]

A 31 year old man was sentenced to life imprisonment of the murder of McDermott and the attempted murder of Mrs McDermott, and possession of weapon [4]

[1] CAIN, University of Ulster

[2] Lost Lives, p 1344

[3] Relatives for justice. 

www.relativesforjustice.com

[1] IRA member shot while stopping bombs, Belfast Telegraph, 04 November 2004

[2] CAIN, University of Ulster

[3] IRA member shot while stopping bombers, Irish Independent, 04 November 2004

31-Aug-94

Sean MacDermott

37

M

C

Civilian

UVF

Antrim

Co Antrim

Mr MacDermott was abducted from the house where he was lodging in Antrim. A gang broke in the door with sledgehammers, dragged him from his bed, and bound him with tape before taking him away. He was later found dead in a car, shot twice in the head with a shotgun.[1]

[1] Lost Lives, by David McKittrick, Seamus Kelters, Brian Feeney, and Chris Thornton, Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh, 1999, no. 3517

01-Sep-94

John O’Hanlon

32

M

C

Civilian

UFF

North Belfast

Co Antrim

Shot from passing vehicle while working on a friend’s car on Skegoneill Road in North Belfast. The UFF claimed Mr O’Hanlon was a ‘known Republican’. At the inquest, however, the Coroner disputed this claim, saying there was “no basis of fact in it at all.” At the same time, he said that the only possible conclusion was that it was a sectarian murder. The gun used by the killer had been linked to other attacks in North Belfast between March and September 1994.[1]

[1] UFF blasted for ‘sectarian killing’ of last victim, Irish News, 22 June 1995

10-Nov-94

Frank Kerr

54

M

C

Civilian

IRA

Newry

Co Down

Postal worker killed during a bungled £130,000 robbery of the Newry sorting office. Mr Kerr struggled with one of the robbers, who had tied up several workers inside the sorting office, and was shot in the head. The IRA admitted the robbery and killing but denied it was a breach of the ceasefire, claiming a breakdown in their chain of command.[1]

Two men, Declan McComish (28) and Kevin Patrick Donegan (39) were arrested with Mr Kerr’s bloodstained uniform in their possession. In December 1996, they were found not guilty of murder, but were convicted of assisting the IRA killers.[2] Mr Donegan was sentenced to eight years and six and a half years and Mr McComish was sentenced to five and a half years and four years, to run concurrently, for assisting the killing and for their part in the robbery respectively[3]. Mr Donegan was released in 1998 under the Good Friday Agreement[4].

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3519

[2] Two cleared of killing PO man, by Brenda O’Neill, Irish News, 5 December 1996

[3] Pair jailed for helping PO man’s IRA killers, by Brenda O’Neill, Irish News, 14 December 1996

[4] IRA hunger striker freed in peace deal, by John Mullin, Guardian, 22 October 1998

12-Dec-94

Malachy Martin Clark

17

M

C

Civilian

Self inflicted

West Belfast

Co Antrim

Hanged himself after a so-called punishment beating by a group of IRA men (on 21 October 1994) for glue-sniffing that left him in the hospital with a broken nose and ruptured eardrum[1]. Left a note saying that the beating drove him to suicide[2].

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3520

[2] Ulster beatings: No truce in sight; IRA, Loyalists using violence to keep control, by Ray Moseley, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 1995

22-Dec-94

Noel Lyness

47

M

C

Civilian

Loyalists?

South Belfast

Co Antrim

Assaulted, assumedly with a breeze block found at the scene. The killing is believed to have been sectarian.[1] The murder was not believed to have been sanctioned by the UVF, UDA or Red Hand Commando, but was believed to have been committed by a non-specific loyalist group [2].

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3521

[2] Hatred awaits decommissioning as ceasefires hold, by Gerry Moriarty, Irish Times, 29 December 1994

http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1994/html

02-Mar-95

James (Jim) Seymour

55

M

P

RUC

IRA

Co Tyrone

RUC man died 22 years after being shot in the head on 4 May 1973 by a gunman who opened fire as Mr Seymour was returning to duty at the RUC station. He remained paralyzed in hospital throughout the 22 year period.[1]

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3522

28-Apr-95

Michael (Mickey) Mooney

34

M

C

Civilian

IRA / DAAD

Belfast city centre

Co Antrim

Shot while at a bar by two unmasked gunman who escaped on foot. Mr Mooney was thought to have been targeted because he was reportedly the leader of one of the largest drug gangs in Northern Ireland.[1] This was the first murder claimed by the IRA using the cover name Direct Action Against Drugs[2].

Drugs-related killing

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3523

[2] 13 victims of the Provos’ policing drive, by Maeve Connolly, Irish News, 23 February 2002

05-Sep-95

Anthony (Tony) Kane

29

M

C

Civilian

IRA / DAAD

West Belfast

Co Antrim

A known drug dealer shot while waiting with his wife in his car outside a church after his aunt’s funeral. Mr Kane had reportedly been an acquaintance of Mickey Mooney.[1]

Drugs-related killing

[1] Belfast drugs dealer shot dead after funeral, by Gerry Moriarty, Irish Times, 6 September 1995

28-Sep-95

William (Billy) Elliott

32

M

P

RHC

RHC

Bangor

Co Down

Shot twice in the head at close range, allegedly for his part in the band hall murder of Margaret Wright, a Protestant woman falsely believed to be Catholic, in April 1994. Frankie Curry, a leading figure in the Red Hand Commando, said he killed Billy Elliot.  He was the RHC leader in the Donegal area [1]

Thomas Maginnis (38) was charged with the murders of Mr Elliott, Mark Sweeney, Brian O’Rawe, and William Paul, as well as conspiracy to murder and wound, possession of guns, robbery, theft and arson. He had made admissions during secretly recorded conversations with police about the murders, and confessed to some of the murders on being confronted with the taped admission. In October 2000, this man was freed by Belfast Crown Court Lord Justice McCollum, who ruled that the accused would probably not get a fair trial because of inappropriate tactics used by the police in obtaining a confession.[2]

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3525

[2] Murder accused freed despite confession, by Anne McClean, Irish News, 2 October 2000

[3] 'Judges frees man who confessed to four murders' by David Sharrock, The Telegraph, 30 September 2000

27-Nov-95

Norman Harley

45

M

C

Civilian

Loyalists

North Belfast

Co Antrim

Assaulted and killed with an iron bar on his way home to Castleton Gardens. The killing did not involve paramilitary groups, but originally seemed to have sectarian motives.[1] A judge later disputed this claim during the sentencing of two men convicted of murder and manslaughter[2].

In June 1997, Christopher MacMillan (22) was convicted of murder and jailed for life. Mark Bellringer (22) was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to seven years. The judge ruled it was not a sectarian attack, but was probably to get money for alcohol. Mr Bellringer was also sentenced to four years for causing grievous bodily harm to another man on the same evening in the same park. Bellringer was the first man to be released under the Good Friday Agreement [3]

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3526

[2] Life sentence for ‘vicious’ murder, Irish Times, 22 June 1997

[3] Life sentence for ‘vicious’ murder, Irish Times, 22 June 1997 http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1998/09/12/ihead.htm

08-Dec-95

Paul 'Saul' Devine

35

M

C

Civilian

IRA / DAAD

South Belfast

Co Antrim

Joe Hendron (SDLP MP) claimed the murder constituted a breach of the IRA ceasefire[3]

Drugs-related killing

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3527

[2] Bargaining in blood, by John Davison, Andrew Grice and Ciaran Byrne, Sunday Times, 7 January 1996

[3] http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch95.htm

18-Dec-95

Francis Collins

40

M

C

Former IRA

IRA / DAAD

North Belfast

Co Antrim

Shot by two unmasked gunmen in front of his fish and chip shop, where he and his wife were working. The killing was supposedly drugs-related, but his wife claims that it arose from a personal vendetta by individuals within the republican movement. A detective sergeant said that there was no evidence of drug involvement, and it might have been a case of mistaken identity.[1] Mr Collins had been involved with IRA bombings and shootings in the 1970s[2].

Drugs-related killing?

[1] Widow vows to clear husband’s ‘drugs smear’, by Brendan Anderson, Irish News, 29 May 1996

[2] Lost Lives, no. 3528

19-Dec-95

Christopher ‘Sid’ Johnson

38

M

C

Civilian

IRA / DAAD

South Belfast

Co Antrim

Shot by two gunmen in front of his home in drugs-related circumstances. At the time of his death, Mr Johnson was on bail, after having been charged with possession of £250,000 worth of cannabis.[1] There were conflicting reports on whether the charges had been dropped. DAAD, however, claimed to have committed the murder because Mr Johnson was dealing drugs.[2]

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3529

[2] Confusion on status of charges against man shot in Belfast, by Gerry Moriarty and Geraldine Kennedy, Irish Times, 21 December 1995

27-Dec-95

Martin McCrory

30

M

C

Civilian

IRA / DAAD

West Belfast

Co Antrim

Killed by double shotgun blast in the living room of his home while watching television. Traces of ecstasy were found in his bloodstream, consistent with ‘recreational use’, but an RUC Det Inspector told the inquest that his involvement in drug dealing had reportedly ceased a few years before his death.[1] Mr McCrory had previously been the victim of a punishment attack[2].

Drugs-related killing

[1] Gun victim had traces of Ecstasy in blood, Irish News, 7 January 1998

[2] Lost Lives, no. 3530

02-Jan-96

Ian Lyons

31

M

C

Civilian

IRA / DAAD

Lurgan

Co Armagh

Killed in his car by two masked gunmen in a drugs-related shooting as he sat with his girlfriend outside her home. Mr Lyons’ family denied he had any drug involvement, and the RUC said he was known to them in only general terms.[1]

Drugs-related killing?

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3531

31-Jan-96

Gino Gallagher

32

M

C

INLA

INLA

West Belfast

Co Antrim

Shot four times in the back of the head as he signed on at the Falls Road Social Security Office[1]. This killing was part of an INLA internal feud between Gino Gallagher and Hugh Torney’s factions after Hugh Torney had been ousted as chief of staff of INLA. Numerous people were shot and/or killed over the next eight months as part of this feud.[2]

INLA feud

Charles Kevin Begley of Belfast was accused of the murder and went on trial at Belfast Crown Court, but the charge was dropped because he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of conspiring to murder a person or persons unknown. Mr Begley was also convicted and sentenced to 11 years for planning another murder.[3]

[1] Gallagher murder ‘an unbelievably clean killing’, by Suzanne Breen, Irish Times, 3 February 1996

[2] GHQ faction statement says deadly feud with INLA is over, by Gerry Moriarty and Carol Coulter, Irish Times, 11 September 1996

[3] Man jailed for murder plot, Irish Times, 16 October 1997

09-Feb-96

John Jefferies

31

M

U

Civilian

IRA

Docklands, London

England

Killed when an approximately 1,000 pound IRA bomb exploded near Canary Wharf in Docklands, London. This was the end of the IRA ceasefire, which had lasted 17 months. The IRA issued a statement and bomb warning a short time before the bomb went off, but this did not allow enough time to clear the area.[1]

A 34-year-old man and James McCardle (29) were charged with conspiring to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property. Mr McCardle was also charged with murdering Inan Bashir and John Jeffries. The 34-year-old man was acquitted after the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence against him.[2] In a retrial after the first jury failed to reach a verdict, Mr McCardle was sentenced to 25 years for the conspiracy charge. The jury was not allowed to consider the murder charge because of press coverage.[3] Mr McCardle was released from the Maze prison in July 2000 as part of the Good Friday Agreement’s early release scheme for paramilitary prisoners[4].

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3534

[2] Retrial in Docklands bomb case as jury fail to reach a verdict, Irish Times, 21 February 1998

[3] Voters Backing Peace, Undeterred by Blasts, by Christopher Henning, Sydney Morning Herald, 26 June 1998

[4] Symbol of a painful peace: Largest one-day exodus in 30 years sees 78 freed from Maze, by John Mullin, Guardian, 29 July 2000

Patrick McKinley (34 in 1998)

09-Feb-96

Inan Ul-Haq Bashir

29

M

U

Civilian

IRA

Docklands, London

England

Killed when an IRA bomb exploded near Canary Wharf in Docklands, London[1]. (see above)

(see above)

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3533

18-Feb-96

Edward O’Brien

21

M

C

IRA

Self inflicted

Aldwych, London

England

Killed when his own bomb exploded, assumedly prematurely, in a bus in central London. After his death, security forces found Semtex, timers, detonators, and ammunition in his London home. Five other people were injured in the explosion.[1]

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3535

04-Mar-96

John Fennell

40

M

C

INLA

INLA

Bundoran, Co Donegal

Republic of Ireland

One of the founders of INLA, battered to death with breeze blocks at a caravan site in Bundoran after supposedly ‘confessing’ to Gino Gallagher’s death under torture. This was done as part of the INLA feud.[1] A companion disappeared for several days, but was found safe, his head covered and hands bound, on 8 March[2].

INLA feud

A man in his 20s was questioned by Gardai, but released on 8 April 1996[3].

[1] Belfast shooting may be latest in republican faction feud, The Herald (Glasgow), 15 April 1996

[2] Gardai locate man who disappeared after killing, Irish Times, 9 March 1996

[3] Man held in Fennell murder, Irish Times, 9 April 1996

15-Mar-96

Barbara McAlorum

9

F

C

Civilian

INLA

North Belfast

Co Antrim

9-year-old shot by a spray of gunfire as she was playing with a jigsaw puzzle in the living room of her home. The shooting was associated with the INLA internal feud, and the gunman was believed to have belonged to Gino Gallagher’s faction of INLA. A 19-year-old man visiting the house, Ciaran Scott, was injured in the shooting.[1] Her father was targeted with a bomb in May 1996 while visiting his son at Maghaberry prison[2].

INLA feud

A number of men were arrested and questioned in the weeks following the killing, but were released without charge[3].

[1] Tragic scene parents wanted world to see, by Colin O’Carroll, Irish News, 19 March 1996

[2] Gino men get bomb blame, by Brenda O’Neill, Irish News, 18 May 1996

[3] Lost Lives, no. 3537

21-Mar-96

Thomas (Tommy) Sheppard

41

M

P

UVF

UVF

Ballymena

Co Antrim

Killed by three shots fired by two gunmen in a bar in Ballymena. Security sources claimed that loyalist paramilitaries were involved.[1] The Sunday Times from the week of 24 March 1996 claimed the UVF had carried out the killing because they believed Mr Sheppard was an informer[2].

Police were questioning one man shortly after the killing.[3]

[1] RUC question man in loyalist's murder, by Suzanne Breen, Irish Times, 23 March 1996

[2] Lost Lives, no. 3538

[3] RUC question man in loyalist's murder, by Suzanne Breen, Irish Times, 23 March 1996

25-May-96

Dessie McCleery

37

M

C

INLA

INLA

Central Belfast

Co Antrim

Hugh Torney’s deputy, who was shot in the crowded bar of a pizza restaurant in central Belfast by the INLA faction loyal to Gino Gallagher[1].

INLA feud

A 30-year-old man was charged with involvement in the murder in 1996[2]. In December, 1997, he was acquitted of the murder. His girlfriend, however, was sentenced to community service for providing a false alibi for him.[3]

[1] INLA rivals fight it out for power and vengeance, by Gerry Moriarty, Irish Times, 27 May 1996

[2] INLA murder judgment reserved, Irish Times, 5 December 1997

[3] Conviction for false alibi, Irish Times, 31 January 1998

Brendan Patrick Gallagher (30 in 1996), brother of Gino Gallagher

07-Jun-96

Gerard (Jerry) McCabe

52

M

C

An Garda Síochána

IRA

Adare, Co Limerick

Republic of Ireland

Hit by three of the fourteen bullets fired during a robbery of an An Post truck carrying £100,000 in pension and social security money which he and a colleague were guarding. Some months after the attack, the IRA admitted that some of its members carried out the killing.[1]

Four men, Kevin Walsh, Pearse McAuley, Jeremiah Sheedy and Michael O'Neill, pleaded guilty to manslaughter fifteen days into the trial, 3 February 1999, and were given sentences of 11-14 years[2]. A fifth man, John Quinn, was sentenced to four years for conspiracy to rob[3]. In March 2003, the High Court rejected a Sinn Féin bid for the early release under the Belfast Agreement for two men jailed in connection with the robbery in which Mr McCabe was killed[4].

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3540

[2] Lost Lives, no. 3540

[3] IRA backs away from legal battle over McCabe killers, by John Mooney, Sunday Times, 27 August 2000

[4] Garda's killer to challenge sentence, by Mary Carolan, Irish Times, 29 March 2003

09-Jun-96

Francis Shannon

23

M

C

INLA

INLA

West Belfast

Co Antrim

Shot at close range in Turf Lodge by Gino Gallagher’s INLA faction as part of the INLA internal feud. Mr Shannon’s natural father was John Fennell, who was killed in March 1996.[1] When he was killed, Mr Shannon was wearing a wig in order to disguise himself and was wearing a bullet-proof vest[2].

INLA feud

[1] Man shot dead on Belfast street in INLA feud, by Suzanne Breen, Irish Times, 10 June 1996

[2] INLA murder victim was wearing a wig, The Herald (Glasgow), 11 June 1996

08-Jul-96

Michael McGoldrick

31

M

C

Civilian

LVF

Lurgan

Co Armagh

Taxi driver shot in the run-up to the 1996 Drumcree crisis. Mr McGoldrick was taking a passenger to a predominantly Catholic village outside of Lurgan and was lured into a small back lane, where the driver of another car got into the taxi and shot Mr McGoldrick five times in the back of the head.[1]

Clifford McKeown, a LVF member who was an associate of Billy Wright, was charged with the murder on 6 November 2001. He was convicted and sentenced to 24 years in April 2003, but the sentence may be reduced under the terms of the Good Friday agreement. Mr McKeown planned to appeal the sentence. The conviction came primarily from evidence presented by journalist Nick Martin Clark, to whom McKeown admitted the killings, which he described as a ‘birthday present’ for Wright.[2]

[1] Loyalist murderer jailed for 27 years, by Damlin Henderson, The Herald, 10 April 2003

[2] Loyalist murderer jailed for 27 years, by Damien Henderson, The Herald, 10 April 2003

12-Jul-96

Thomas Annett

34

M

P

UDA

Loyalists

South Belfast

Co Antrim

Assaulted outside a bar on Ormeau Road. Police said the killing was not sectarian, but associates and family members believed that the killing was a result of loyalist paramilitary involvement.[1]

A 30-year-old man was charged with the murder on 20 November 1997[2]. In August 2001, this same man was charged with possessing documents useful to terrorists. These documents supposedly emanated from British army spy Brian Nelson.[3]

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3543

[2] Man charged with Belfast murder, Irish Times, 20 November 1997

[3] Court releases three on bail, Irish News, 25 August 2001

Colin Stephen Lindsay (30 in 1997)

13-Jul-96

Dermot 'Tonto' McShane

35

M

C

Former INLA

Army

Derry

Co Derry

Killed in Derry during the Drumcree riots when an army vehicle drove into a piece of corrugated metal behind which Mr McShane was sheltering[1].

In 1998, the Director of Public Prosecution decided not to prosecute the driver of the vehicle[2]. In 2002, in McShane v. the United Kingdom, the European Court of Human Rights unanimously ruled that the UK had violated Mr McShane’s right to life by failing to effectively investigate his death. Mr McShane’s wife was awarded £8,000 in damages and £8,000 in costs.[3]

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3544

[2] Lost Lives, no. 3544

[3] Court finds man's right to life violated, Irish Times, 29 May 2002

03-Sep-96

Hugh Torney

41

M

C

INLA

INLA

Lurgan

Co Armagh

Shot by gunmen from Gino Gallagher’s INLA faction outside a house in Lurgan, Co Armagh, as part of the internal INLA feud between his faction and Gino Gallagher’s faction. Mr Torney had been ousted as INLA chief of staff by Gino Gallagher, and had reportedly ordered Gino Gallagher’s assassination in January 1996.[1]

INLA feud

Three men were questioned about the murder, but released without charge[2]. Liam McAnoy, the man accompanying Mr Torney when Mr Torney died and who was wounded in the attack, went on trial in 1997 on an arms charges relating to the event in question[3]. In February 1998, Mr McAnoy was sentenced to six and a half years in prison[4].

[1] INLA feud takes another ‘best friend’, by Henry McDonald, Sunday Times, 8 September 1996

[2] RUC frees trio of suspects, Irish News, 11 December 1996

[3] Man shot in attack faces gun charges, by Brendan Anderson, Irish News, 10 December 1997

[4] Man jailed for possessing gun, Irish Times, 10 February 1998

16-Sep-96

John Paul ‘Sean’ Devlin

31

M

C

Civilian

IRA / DAAD

South Belfast

Co Antrim

Shot three times in the head by two masked men in a house in Friendly Street, the day before he was to appear in court on drugs charges. The IRA had supposedly threatened him to leave Northern Ireland or be shot.[1]

Drugs-related killing

[1] Drugs group admits murder in Belfast, by Gerry Moriarty, Irish Times, 17 September 1996

21-Sep-96

Kenneth Auld

47

M

P

Civilian

Republicans

Glenarm

Co Antrim

Died four days after he was stabbed with screwdriver while trying to stop republicans removing an Ulster flag from a post outside the Masonic Hall[1].

A 26-year-old man who was charged with the killing claimed he was drunk at the time, then was himself struck on the head with a flagpole, and thus remembers nothing of the incident[2]. He was subsequently acquitted[3].

[1] Glenarm flag row stabbing horror, by John Breslin, Belfast Telegraph, 17 September 1996

[2] Flag row ‘triggered fatal screwdriver attack’, by Brenda O’Neill, Irish News, 5 December 1997

[3] Attacks continue in North Antrim, An Phoblacht/Republican News, 15 January 1998

Gregory Oliver O’Neill (26 in 1997)

22-Sep-96

George Scott

32

M

P

UVF?

Unknown

Cookstown

Co Tyrone

Beaten to death in his flat in a ‘failed’ punishment beating for previous fights and threats[1].

Two of the accused, Robert Stewart (39) and George Watterson (31) pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 1998. The murder cases against three men, Gary McGuckin (31), Mark McGuckin (36), and Rodger Crooks (24) went to trial in January 1998[2]. Mark McGuckin was found guilty of murder, while Gary McGuckin and Rodger Crooks were found guilty of a lesser charge of manslaughter[3].

[1] Man killed in ‘failed’ punishment beating, by Brendan Anderson, Irish News, 28 January 1998

[2] Man killed in ‘failed’ punishment beating, by Brendan Anderson, Irish News, 28 January 1998

[3] Murder and manslaughter verdicts for beating gang, by Martin Anderson, Irish News, 1 July 1998

23-Sep-96

Diarmuid O’Neill

27

M

C

IRA

Metropolitan police

Hammersmith, London

England

Unarmed IRA member shot six times during a botched arrest operation in a Hammersmith hotel in which the duplicate room key did not work, the battering ram broke a hole in the door without opening the door, and 10 rounds of CS gas were thrown into the room, impeding the vision of the arresting officers.[1]

In February 2000, a jury exonerated the police officers, ruling that Mr O’Neill was lawfully shot during this arrest operation even though the operation went ‘badly wrong’[2]. The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute the officer who shot Mr O’Neill. Friends and family members are campaigning for a full inquiry into the death.[3]

[1] Police killing of IRA man 'lawful'; Inquest verdict on unarmed terrorist suspect shot in hotel, by Nick Hopkins, Guardian, 19 February 2000

[2] Police killing of IRA man 'lawful'; Inquest verdict on unarmed terrorist suspect shot in hotel, by Nick Hopkins, Guardian, 19 February 2000

[3] No trial for officer who shot IRA man, by Duncan Campbell, Guardian, 27 April 1999

10-Oct-96

Darren Murray

12

M

C

Civilian

Unknown

Portadown

Co Armagh

Died two days after being struck by van during a confrontation between nationalist and loyalist children shouting taunts at each other[1].

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3550

11-Oct-96

James Bradwell

43

M

U

Army

IRA

Lisburn

Co Antrim

Warrant officer killed by car bombs at Thiepval barracks, the British Army headquarters in Lisburn, Co Antrim. Mr Bradwell died four days after attack, in which 31 other people were injured.[1]

One man was charged with conspiring to cause the explosion, but failed to return to court in 1997[2]. As of 2002, he was still a fugitive and appeared on the list of fugitives Sinn Féin submitted to the government for amnesty[3].

[1] IRA ‘aimed to wipe out casualties’, by Aeneas Bonner, Irish News, 25 November 1996

[2] IRA ‘aimed to wipe out casualties’, by Aeneas Bonner, Irish News, 25 November 1996

[3] IRA fugitives at heart of amnesty dispute, The Times, 13 March 2002

Michael Gerard Rogan

29-Oct-96

Thomas Stewart

32

M

P

UVF

UVF

North Belfast

Co Antrim

Shot near his home in north Belfast less than a week after he was ‘stood down’ by the UVF as a party leader[1]. A year later, after Jackie Mahood was shot, the spokesperson for the Progressive Unionist Party linked the cases, suggesting that ‘criminal elements’ were responsible for both murders and denying a feud between the UVF and LVF[2].

Loyalist feud

[1] Belfast murder victim had been ‘stood down’ as UVF chief, by David Sharrock, Guardian, 30 October 1996

[2] UVF challenged to deny role in loyalist’s shooting, by Gerry Moriarty, Irish Times, 30 November 1997

07-Dec-96

Peter (P.J.) Judge

41

M

U

Civilian

IRA

Dublin

Republic of Ireland

Major drugs dealer in Dublin shot dead as sat in his car outside of a public house on Finglas Road. Mr Judge is believed to have been killed by the IRA because of his involvement in drugs.[1]

Drugs-related killing

[1] No one has been charged in relation to 15 killings carried out by gangs involved in drugs or other crime since 1998, by Jim Cusack, Irish Times, 13 March 2000

03-Feb-97

Larry McCartan

79

M

C

Civilian

Unknown

Laurencetown

Co Down

An SDLP councillor on the Banbridge District Council. Mr McCartan suffered a heart attack while he and his wife were evacuated during a hoax bomb alert.[1]

[1] Councillor dies during bomb hoax, by Suzanne Breen, Irish Times, 4 February 1997

12-Feb-97

Stephen Restorick

23

M

U

Army

IRA

Bessbrook

Co Armagh

Soldier shot in the back by a sniper while manning a vehicle checkpoint[1].

In March 1999, an IRA sniper team consisting of Michael Caraher, James McCardle, and Martin Mines, and a 41-year-old man were convicted of offences relating to the killing and other serious offences. Mr Caraher, who shot the gun, Mr McCardle, and Mr Mines were each given 20 years for conspiracy to murder and 20 years for arms possession. There was not enough evidence to try any of them for murder. A 58-year-old man was found not guilty of making a shed available to terrorists.[2] Mr Caraher received a total of 105 years for those and other convictions. Mr McCardle was sentenced to additional time for the Docklands bombing. The 41-year-old man was convicted of the murder of Lance Bombadier Restorick and a large number of other IRA crimes and given concurrent sentences totalling 435 years. The four were released after 16 months under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.[3] In October 2000, after he had already been freed, the 41-year-old was cleared of the murder by the Court of Appeal because he was not pro

[1] ‘Life’ means 16 months in prison for IRA killer, by John Mullin, Guardian, 20 March 1999

[2] IRA terrorist laughs after being convicted of soldier's murder, by Conal Urquhart, Scotsman, 20 March 1999

[3] Short walk to freedom for the last of Maze inmates, by Suzanne Breen, Irish Times, 27 July 2000

[4] Man cleared of murder on appeal, Irish Times, 6 October 2000

Bernard McGinn (41 in 1999); Michael Anthony Kearns (58 in 1999)

14-Mar-97

John Slane

44

M

C

Civilian

UDA

West Belfast

Co Antrim

Shot five times in the chest at close range in the kitchen of his home. Loyalist forces revealed that the UDA might be responsible for the killing, but it was a case of mistaken identity. It was believed that the UDA had planned to kill a man with INLA ties who lived in the same area, and the UDA accepted that Mr Slane was completely innocent.[1]

A UDA man in his 20s who was suspected of killing Mr Slane was hiding out in Belfast as of 1998, protected by other loyalists[2]. In February 1998, Gerry Adams accused the RUC of failing to co-operate on investigations of murders by loyalist groups. One example cited was that they refused to release the forensic history of the weapon used to kill Mr Slane.[3]

[1] UDA is blamed for murder of Catholic, by Carmel Robinson, Irish Times, 17 March 1997

[2] Suspect in Bates killing defies UDA, by Henry McDonald, Sunday Times, 6 July 1997; New breed of killers combine gun culture with drug culture, by John Cusack, Irish Times, 24 January 1998

[3] Adams contrasts delay in tackling loyalists with speedy moves for Sinn Féin indictment, by Mark Brennock, Irish Times, 18 February 1998

24-Mar-97

Rev. David Templeton

43

M

P

Civilian

UVF

North Belfast

Co Antrim

Presbyterian minister who died of a heart attack six weeks after a punishment beating at his home on 7 February 1997. It was alleged that Rev. Templeton was a homosexual because he was caught with a gay pornographic video by customs officials at Aldergrove airport. The UVF was blamed for the attack, which was committed by three men wearing balaclavas and wielding baseball bats with spikes driven through them.[1]

[1] UVF blamed for attack which killed minister, Irish News, 13 November 1997

08-May-97

Robert Hamill

25

M

C

Civilian

Loyalists

Portadown

Co Armagh

Died 11 days after he was assaulted by loyalist mob of about 30 in Portadown while four RUC officers in a nearby Land Rover failed to intervene. Mr Hamill was knocked unconscious almost immediately, and never regained consciousness.[1] Hon. Peter Cory, a Canadian judge, is examining this case, along with five others, to determine if an independent inquiry is warranted[2]. In June 2000, a Coroner decided not to hold an inquest because of concern for the safety of witnesses. The following day, the Taoiseach called for an independent judicial inquiry into the killing.[3] In the internal investigation, the officer suspected of providing advice to the killer was suspended and then released from service, two officers were disciplined internally, and two other high-ranking officers were believed to be part of the investigation[4].

Six men were initially charged with the killing, but only one man, Marc Hobson (22), stood trial. He was acquitted of murder in March 1999 because the judge felt it was impossible to be satisfied of his guilt, but was convicted and jailed for committing an affray.[5] He served only 6 weeks in jail[6]. In April 2001, the new Police Ombudsman ordered the arrest of seven people, but they were all released the following day[7]. Evidence has emerged that an RUC officer gave one of the killers advice on how to dispose of evidence in a telephone call shortly following the murder. James and Andrea McKee pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by falsely claiming to have made the call to protect the officer. They were sentenced to 6 months’ imprisonment and 6 months suspended sentence, respectively.[8] In 2003, the DPP decided to prosecute the officer, his wife, and a 52-year-old man for perverting the course of justice by giving false information relating to the call.[9]

[1] Getting to the truth behind Hamill death, by Gerry Moriarty, Irish Times, 28 December 2002

[2] Getting to the truth behind Hamill death, by Gerry Moriarty, Irish Times, 28 December 2002

[3] Ahern calls for inquiry into Hamill murder, by Frank McNally, Irish Times, 9 June 2000

[4] Officers face rap for work in killing, by Sharon O’Neill, Irish News, 18 June 2003

[5] Man acquitted of Portadown murder during loyalist mob attack, Irish Times, 26 March 1999

[6] A hair's length from despair, by Jim Dee, Boston Herald, 11 June 2000

[7] Hamill detainees freed on police bail, by Suzanne Breen, Irish Times, 12 April 2001

[8] Getting to the truth behind the Hamill death, by Gerry Moriarty, Irish Times, 28 December 2002

[9] Former RUC man among three on Hamill charges, by Sharon O’Neill, Irish News, 4 July 2003

Robert Atkinson (49), Eleanor Atkinson (49), Kenneth Hanvey (52)

09-May-97

Darren Bradshaw

24

M

P

RUC

INLA

Belfast city centre

Co Antrim

Off-duty RUC officer who was shot several times at close range by two gunmen in a crowded gay bar. INLA admitted the murder two days later.[1]

[1] INLA claims gay bar killing, Irish Times, 11 May 1997

12 May 97

Sean Brown

61

M

C

Civilian

LVF

Randalstown

Co Antrim

GAA Manager shot by the LVF early in the morning on the day in which Darren Bradshaw was buried. Brown was abducted from Bellaghy, where he was locking up the GAA club after a meeting, and taken 10 miles to Co Antrim, where Bradshaw was buried. Police blamed the LVF for the killing.[1] The murder weapon used was the same gun used to kill John McColgan in January 1998[2]. The Irish News reported that Mark Fulton was implicated in the killing[3].

[1] Horror at cold-blooded murder of GAA official, by Seamus McKinney, Irish News, 14 May 1997

[2] Gun victim’s wife lodges complaint against RUC, by Martin Anderson, Irish News, 27 March 1999

[3] Fulton linked to 12 sectarian killings, by Sharon O’Neill, Irish News, 11 June 2002

01-Jun-97

Gregory Taylor

41

M

P

RUC

Loyalists

Ballymoney

Co Antrim

Off-duty RUC man who left a bar at 1:15 a.m., then was pursued by a group of 12-15 men and kicked to death. The mob was supposedly Loyalists angry at the RUC for re-routing an Apprentice Boys parade through nearby Dunloy two weeks earlier.[1]

Eight men were accused of the murder. Two men, Leslie Henry (31) and Alistair Stevenson (31), were convicted of the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Two other men, Shane Brown (25) and Trevor MacLaughlin (25), admitted manslaughter and were sentenced to four years in prison.[2] Four men were acquitted of murder; two of them were also cleared of causing an affray, while two, Jason Wilmont (20) and Daniel Stewart (33) were granted bail after pleading guilty to causing an affray[3]. The two men convicted of murder, who lost the appeal of their convictions in 1999, were released in 2000 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.[4]

[1] RUC arrests five loyalist bandsmen after killing, by Michael O’Toole, Irish News, 3 June 1997

[2] RUC man’s ‘killers should not be freed’, by Jonathan Turner, Irish News, 24 December 1998

[3] Four acquitted in constable case, by Liz Trainor, Irish News, 8 December 1998

[4] Loyalist prisoners, by Eithne Donnellan, Irish Times, 29 July 2000

Mark McIntyre and Samuel Coulter were acquitted of murder and causing an affray

04-Jun-97

John Morris

26

M

C

INLA

An Garda Síochána

Dublin

Republic of Ireland

Armed robber, member of INLA, who died when shot by gardai. He was shot in the head and chest, holding a cocked handgun that was not loaded.[1] Three men were later jailed for the robbery in which Morris was killed[2].

Gardai were required to testify at the inquest, but were granted anonymity in September 1998 by the Dublin City Coroner. This ruling was overturned in October 1999 by the High Court, which ruled that coroners do not have the power to make this decision. The Supreme Court then upheld the coroner’s decision in July 2000, ruling that gardai can give evidence behind screens.[3] The inquest was begun on 27 June 2001, but Mr Morris’s parents withdrew because they claimed documents had been withheld from them. The jury returned a finding on 28 June 2001 that Mr Morris was fatally injured by a single bullet wound to the head and died the next day.[4]

[1] INLA warns gardai after shot robber dies, by Jim Cusack, Irish Times, 6 June 1997

[2] Three jailed for robbery in which man was shot dead, Irish Times, 11 March 1998

[3] Court decides gardai can give evidence behind screens, Irish Times, 18 July 2000

[4] Gardai say they shot gunman for aiming at them, by Judith Crosbie, Irish Times, 29 June 2001

11-Jun-97

Robert (Bobby) ‘Basher’ Bates

48

M

P

UVF

UDA

North Belfast

Co Antrim

Mr Bates, a notorious member of the Shankill Butchers who was released from prison eight months earlier as a born again Christian, was shot at his workplace, the Ex-Prisoners Interpretive Centre, presumably in a revenge killing that was part of the UDA/UVF feud[1]. Mr Bates was reportedly killed in revenge for the murder of a Shankill road UDA man, James Moorhead, in 1977[2]. The person suspected of killing Mr Bates joined the LVF in late 1997 or early 1998[3]. The UVF attempted to kill the suspected murderer in a June 1999 gun attack[4].

Loyalist feud

[1] Loyalists fear ‘mad dog’ killer has joined LVF death squads, by Henry McDonald, Observer, 4 January 1998

[2] Loyalists ‘will avenge’ RUC men’s deaths, by Jim Cusack, Irish Times, 21 June 1997

[3] Loyalists fear ‘mad dog’ killer has joined LVF death squads, by Henry McDonald, Observer, 4 January 1998

[4] UVF ‘probably guilty’ of gun attack, by Paul McKillion, Irish News, 16 June 1999

16-Jun-97

Roland John Graham

34

M

P

RUC

IRA

Lurgan

Co Armagh

One of two RUC officers shot in the head at close range from behind while on the beat. The killing was claimed by the north Armagh brigade of the IRA.[1]

A 29-year-old man was charged with the killings nine days later, but was released on 3 October 1997 after the case collapsed amid controversy. The same man had previously served three and a half years of a life sentence for the 1993 murder of an off-duty officer, John Lyness, before being freed on appeal.[2] A 2002 newspaper story alleged that the killer is believed to be a former IRA operative who defected to the Real IRA sometime in 2002[3].

[1] RIRA threat 'at highest since Omagh', by Liam Clarke, Sunday Times, 4 August 2002

[2] Murder scene revisited, by Liz Trainor, Irish News, 16 June 1998

[3] RIRA threat 'at highest since Omagh', by Liam Clarke, Sunday Times, 4 August 2002

Republican Colin Duffy (29 in 1998)

16-Jun-97

David Johnston

30

M

P

RUC

IRA

Lurgan

Co Armagh

RUC officer killed alongside Roland John Graham while on patrol[1]. (see above)

(see above)

[1] Lost Lives, no. 3564

07-Jul-97

Brian Morton

28

M

P

UDA

Self inflicted

South Belfast

Co Antrim

UDA member killed near his home while handling a pipe-bomb that prematurely exploded[1].

[1] UDA bomb accident victim is buried, Irish News, 12 July 1997

15-Jul-97

Bernadette Martin

18

F

C

Civilian

LVF

Aghalee

Co Antrim

Catholic woman shot dead by a man in a balaclava as she slept at her Protestant boyfriend’s house[1].

Trevor McKeown (39) was convicted of the murder in 1999. He appealed the conviction for the murder and for possession of the murder weapon, but lost the appeal. The murder weapon was allegedly also used in the murder of taxi driver Michael McGoldrick.[2]

[1] I cradled Bernadette in arms: boyfriend, Irish News, 17 March 1999

[2] Loyalist killer loses appeals, Belfast Telegraph, 20 September 2001

24-Jul-97

James Morgan

16

M

C

Civilian

LVF

Castlewellan

Co Down

Abducted, beaten to death with a hammer, burned, and found three days later in a water-filled pit on a farm. The pit contained animal carcasses, and it was revealed that a mechanical digger was used to pile more carcasses on top of his mutilated body.[1]

Norman James Coopey (27) was convicted of murdering James Morgan in January 1999. In March 1999, he applied for early release under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.[2] He was released from prison on 28 July 2000 after 18 months in prison[3].

[1] Digger used in murder of schoolboy, by Louise McCall, Irish News, 4 August 1997

[2] Don’t free my boy’s killer, by Martin Anderson, Irish News, 2 March 1999

[3] Prisoner releases: Some smiled, others covered their heads, by John Mullin, Guardian, 29 July 2000

01-Aug-97

Stuart Hunter

24

M

P

Civilian

Loyalists

Larne

Co Antrim

Bludgeoned to death with an axe yards from his home, supposedly because he had reported an assault to the police three months earlier[1].

Loyalist feud?

David Joseph Campbell (21) and John Maloney (20) pleaded guilty to manslaughter in February 1999. They were jailed for five years and given one year probation on their release. The Belfast Crown Court said that the men were under the influence of a third man, whose name could not be released for legal reasons, who actually carried out the act. He was originally charged with the murder, but was released for lack of evidence.[2]

[1] Judge jails men who helped ‘evil killer’, Irish News, 25 March 1999

[2] Judge jails men who helped ‘evil killer’, Irish News, 25 March 1999

26-Sep-97

Brian O'Rawe

26

M

P

Civilian

Loyalists

Newtownards

Co Down

Mr O’Rawe’s body was found in the undergrowth of a Newtownards nature reserve, six weeks after he disappeared from his home[1]. The Deputy Coroner who presided over his inquest concluded it was not possible to determine the cause of death because his body was so badly decomposed. A 38-year-old man who confessed to the murder during informal conversations with the police said he attacked Mr O’Rawe, threw a hatchet at his back as he tried to run away, then strangled him with shoelaces before dumping his body in the nature reserve.[2]

A 38-year-old man was charged with the murders of Mr O’Rawe, William Elliott, Mark Sweeney, and William Paul, as well as conspiracy to murder and wound, possessing guns, robbery, theft and arson. He had made admissions during secretly recorded conversations with police about the murders, and confessed to some of the murders on being confronted with the taped admission. In October 2000, he was freed by Belfast Crown Court Lord Justice McCollum, who ruled that he would probably not get a fair trial because of inappropriate tactics used by the police in obtaining a confession.[3]

[1] Man faces trial over murders, by Sharon O’Neill, Irish News, 12 January 2000

[2] Inquest told that man was informer, by Anne Madden, Irish News, 14 February 2001