Gerry Adams attends court in bulletproof vest as IRA damages case hears he was 'directly responsible' for England bomb decisions

"The court in London heard that the three men want to show how Mr Adams was involved in the Provisional IRA "in the course of that conflict and to show on the balance of probabilities that he was as involved as the people who planted and detonated those bombs"."

"Opening her case today, Anne Studd KC, representing the men, also said Mr Adams was "directly responsible for and complicit in those decisions made by that organisation to detonate bombs on the British mainland in 1973 and 1996"."

"In written submissions, Ms Studd said: "The defendant carefully draws a distinction between being a member of 'the Army' and being a member of Sinn Féin. In reality, the evidence will demonstrate that this was not the clear either/or choice as the defendant would have you believe. For many individuals, we say, including Mr Adams, that was a distinction without a difference.""

Three victims of IRA bombings—John Clark (1973 Old Bailey bombing), Jonathan Ganesh (1996 Docklands bombing), and Barry Laycock (1996 Arndale bombing)—are pursuing legal action against former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams. They allege he was a leading member of the Provisional IRA and its Army Council during the bombing campaigns, seeking £1 in damages. Adams categorically denies ever being an IRA member and is contesting the claim. The court heard arguments that Adams was directly responsible for and complicit in decisions to detonate bombs on the British mainland. The claimants' legal team plans to present evidence from multiple witnesses to establish Adams's involvement through circumstantial evidence, arguing the distinction between IRA membership and Sinn Féin membership was meaningless for individuals like Adams.

Read at Irish Independent