Ira on trial: Gerry Adams takes the stand as a civil case tests personal liability for bombings
On the sixth day of a civil trial in London, the keyword at the center of the courtroom clash is ira: allegations that Gerry Adams had a role in major bombing decisions in England, and a categorical denial that he was ever involved in the organisation or any attack.
What is the court being asked to decide about ira and personal liability?
The case is being heard at the High Court in London by Mr Justice Swift. Three men are seeking a ruling that Gerry Adams is personally liable for injuries they received in explosions in London and Manchester. The claimants are John Clark, who was injured in the Old Bailey bomb in 1973, and Jonathan Ganesh and Barry Laycock, who were hurt in the 1996 attacks in London’s Docklands and at Manchester’s Arndale Shopping Centre, respectively.
The claimants are seeking £1 each in what the court has been told are “vindicatory” damages. The civil action centres on allegations that Adams had a role in major ira bombing decisions in England. The trial reached a new phase after evidence from 11 witnesses for the claimants, with Adams beginning to give evidence and set to be the only witness in his defence.
What did Gerry Adams tell the High Court about ira allegations?
Adams, 77, denies any involvement in the attacks and denies ever being in the ira. He arrived at court on Tuesday morning wearing a green tie and a sprig of shamrock in his lapel for St Patrick’s Day, and began by wishing the courtroom “a very happy St Patrick’s Day”.
In a 20-page witness statement released to the court as he began giving evidence, Adams stated: “I was never a member of the IRA or its army council. I never held any role or rank within the IRA. I had no involvement whatsoever, in the authorisation, planning or conduct of the bombings in which the claimants were sadly injured. ”
In the same statement, Adams described his “political work” from the late 1960s as well known. He said he worked with many others over many years to bring the conflict in the north of Ireland to an end. He added that, although he is retired from front-line politics, he remains committed to assisting efforts to cement the peace process and to promote Irish unity.
How are lawyers framing the case, and what happens if time limits apply?
Adams will be questioned by Sir Max Hill KC, a former director of public prosecutions in England and Wales, who is acting as one of the lawyers for the claimants.
For the defence, Adams’ lawyers argue that the case rests on “an assortment of hearsay” and that it has been brought several decades too late. They contend the action should be subject to the three-year limitation period set out in legislation passed in 1980.
The defence position, as set out to the court, is that if the limitation issue is determined in Adams’ favour, the claim must fail and the court would not be required to make findings on liability. The trial’s next steps will therefore be shaped both by the evidence on the core allegations connected to ira and by the legal question of whether the claims can proceed given the passage of time.
