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The Coroner’s Court in Northern Ireland ruled on Thursday that the use of lethal force by the British Special Air Service (SAS) in 1992 was “not justified” when it resulted in the killing of four members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
The judgment found that the SAS, a specialist British military force, did not possess an “honest belief” that lethal force was “necessary” and that their actions were not properly controlled. Justice Michael Humphreys, delivering the judgment, stated that the soldiers’ decision to use lethal force was “not reasonable” given the circumstances. He criticised the operation for lacking adequate planning and control, noting that the unit could have reduced the risk of a violent exchange by waiting for the suspects to dismount and disarm. The justice emphasized that no attempt was made to arrest the suspects, stating: “t must have been evident to experienced soldiers that the risk of a firing exchange would have been significantly reduced if they had delayed their attack.”
On February 16, 1992, four masked IRA men identified as Kevin Barry O’Donnell, Sean O’Farrell, Peter Clancy, and Daniel Vincent were shot dead at St. Patrick’s Church, Clonoe, County Tyrone. The incident occurred minutes after IRA operatives had launched an attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station, firing approximately 60 rounds from a hijacked lorry that had been converted into a makeshift assault vehicle. In response, the British SAS unit fired more than 500 rounds without warning at the lorry and several other vehicles in the car park. The exchange of fire resulted in the death of the four men.
The court’s decision sparked strong reactions from various political parties. The Ulster Unionist Party’s justice spokesperson described the outcome as “ludicrous.” He stated:
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The judgment found that the SAS, a specialist British military force, did not possess an “honest belief” that lethal force was “necessary” and that their actions were not properly controlled. Justice Michael Humphreys, delivering the judgment, stated that the soldiers’ decision to use lethal force was “not reasonable” given the circumstances. He criticised the operation for lacking adequate planning and control, noting that the unit could have reduced the risk of a violent exchange by waiting for the suspects to dismount and disarm. The justice emphasized that no attempt was made to arrest the suspects, stating: “t must have been evident to experienced soldiers that the risk of a firing exchange would have been significantly reduced if they had delayed their attack.”
On February 16, 1992, four masked IRA men identified as Kevin Barry O’Donnell, Sean O’Farrell, Peter Clancy, and Daniel Vincent were shot dead at St. Patrick’s Church, Clonoe, County Tyrone. The incident occurred minutes after IRA operatives had launched an attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station, firing approximately 60 rounds from a hijacked lorry that had been converted into a makeshift assault vehicle. In response, the British SAS unit fired more than 500 rounds without warning at the lorry and several other vehicles in the car park. The exchange of fire resulted in the death of the four men.
The court’s decision sparked strong reactions from various political parties. The Ulster Unionist Party’s justice spokesperson described the outcome as “ludicrous.” He stated:
Sinn Féin MP Cathal Mallaghan, however, welcomed the decision. Mallaghan stated the ruling “confirms what many in our community knew for a long time; Kevin Barry O’Donnell, Sean O’Farrell, Peter Clancy and Patrick Vincent were executed by the SAS without justification.”
The post UK high court rules British military was “not justified” in 1992 IRA killings appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.