A civil case brought by three victims of IRA bombings against former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has been discontinued at the High Court in London, just days before the trial was due to conclude. The claimants – John Clark, Jonathan Ganesh, and Barry Laycock – had sought a symbolic £1 in damages, arguing Adams contributed to the bombings through his alleged leadership role in the Provisional IRA.
The decision to withdraw the claim came after “proceedings developed overnight,” according to Anne Studd, the barrister representing the victims. She indicated the development was related to arguments surrounding whether the case constituted an abuse of process. The judge, Jonathan Swift, cautioned against discussing the specifics outside of court.
Barry Laycock, injured in the 1996 bombing of the Arndale Shopping Centre in Manchester, expressed his devastation at the outcome. “I’m completely devastated. The fair trial we sought, getting Mr Adams into the dock for the first time, was achieved. But somehow we have lost our protection,” he said in a statement. “How is that fair on me or all the victims who deserve justice? One can all hold our heads up high. Our team have worked tirelessly and achieved something that successive governments have failed to do.”
Adams, 77, had consistently denied any involvement in the IRA and testified during the two-week trial that he had “no involvement whatsoever” in the bombings. His legal team argued the case was an abuse of the court system and should be dismissed, suggesting the claimants were attempting to stage a public inquiry under the guise of a civil claim.
Speaking in Belfast on Friday afternoon, Adams said he had “nothing but sympathy” for the claimants, noting his own experiences with violence. “I was moved by the testimony of the two people, the two men, who came forward and told of their own personal difficulties and circumstances within the explosions and following the explosions. Family members of mine have been killed, I’ve been shot myself, so I know what it’s like.”
The legal firm representing the three men, McCue Jury and Partners, released a statement asserting the outcome did “not represent a victory for Mr Adams but the reverse.” They stated Adams had offered to settle the claim without payment of damages, an offer the victims felt compelled to accept after the court signaled it would consider whether the case was an abuse of process. The firm argued this issue had been previously dismissed by a judge in a preliminary hearing.
According to the law firm, the court’s late intervention created a risk that the claimants could be held liable for Adams’s legal costs if the case were deemed an abuse of process, a risk Adams “inevitably exploited.” They described the situation as “deeply unfair” but maintained the proceedings had served as a vindication of the victims’ position.
Adams, in a statement released earlier on Friday, welcomed the “emphatic end” to what he described as a case that “should never have been brought.” He stated he attended the trial “out of respect” for the victims and to defend himself against “smears and false accusations.” He reiterated his support for the Republican cause and the right of the Irish people to self-determination.
The case centered on bombings that occurred in 1973 and 1996. John Clark was injured in the 1973 Old Bailey bombing, while Jonathan Ganesh and Barry Laycock were injured in the 1996 attacks in London’s Docklands and Manchester’s Arndale Shopping Centre, respectively. The London Docklands and Manchester attacks were the IRA’s final bombings in Britain during the Troubles.
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