Three victims of Provisional IRA bombings in England have discontinued their damages claim against former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams.
Their lawyers told London’s High Court their decision on Friday, the last day of the two-week trial.
The claim will be discontinued with “no order as to costs” after “proceedings developed overnight,” according to Anne Studd KC, who was representing the victims.
Mr Adams welcomed the decision, saying it “brings to an emphatic end a case that should never have been brought”.
Mr Adams, who became leader of Sinn Fein in 1983 when it was the IRA’s political wing, was for many years the best-known face of the movement seeking to end British rule in Northern Ireland.
Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams at a special party conference where he formally stepped down from leading the party in 2018. Pic: Reuters
He had long faced accusations that he was a member of the Provisional IRA, including from former members of the
paramilitary group, which he has always denied.
Mr Adams was being sued for £1 in damages by three men.
The three claimants, who were injured in three IRA bombings in the 1970s and 1990s, were seeking a finding on the balance of probabilities that Adams was personally liable for the bombings as a senior member of the IRA.
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.
In written submissions for the trial, Ms Studd said the three men claimed that none of the bombings “took place without the knowledge and agreement” of Mr Adams.
In his evidence, Mr Adams said he had “no involvement in or advance knowledge of” any of the bombings and that he was “glad that the IRA has left the stage”.
He accused opponents of Sinn Fein, of which he was president from 1983 to 2018, of having “repeatedly sought to conflate” the party with the Provisional IRA, stressing that they are “separate organisations”.
Current Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald took over from Gerry Adams in 2018. Pic: Reuters
However, he said that while he believed in the “broad principle that people have the right to resist occupation”, he was “very, very clear that there were dastardly things that were done that should never have been done”.
His lawyer, Edward Craven KC, told the court that the evidence against Mr Adams by the victims was “extremely limited and we say bordering on non-existent”.
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He suggested that the men were using the claim to try to have a “public inquiry-style” hearing into finding historical truths and said it could constitute an abuse of the court system.
The claim should be dismissed for being brought too late, he argued.
In their evidence, the bombing victims said they did not bring claims earlier as they did not realise they could do so, could not afford to, were suffering from mental or physical injuries and feared violent reprisals.
In this statement today, Mr Adams said: “During my two days of evidence, I categorically rejected all of the claims being made.
“I am glad to have been one of those who helped bring an end to the conflict.
“I want to thank all of those who have expressed their solidarity with me and the Sinn Fein team, which worked closely with me.”
