A UK High Court has ruled that three individuals who suffered injury due to IRA bomb attacks in England can sue former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams in a personal capacity. The victims are seeking just £1 in damages for “vindicatory purposes”. The case is being brought by John Clark, a victim of the Old Bailey bombing in March 1973, alongside Jonathan Ganesh and Barry Laycock. The civil action against the IRA has been struck out, however, as the group is not considered a legal entity. The plaintiffs allege that Adams “acted with others in furtherance of a common design to bomb the British mainland”.
Adams has continually denied being a part of the IRA. He was also refused the demand that the complainants be made liable for his £120,000-plus legal bill for his failed bid to have the claims thrown out. The victims accused Adams of attempting to get them to drop the case. Ganesh was injured in the February 1996 bombing in London’s Docklands, while Laycock was hurt in the June 1996 Arndale shopping centre attack in Manchester. The case is being funded by crowdsourcing.
In an earlier hearing, the ex-Sinn Féin head asked the judge to dismiss the case against him. Mr Justice Soole stated in his verdict that whether Adams was “at the material times” affiliated with the IRA or was among its leaders “is a question of fact that can only be determined at full trial”. Following the court’s ruling, the victims’ solicitor, Matthew Jury, called it an “unequivocal victory for all victims and survivors of IRA terrorism.” The legal action, he added, was the “last chance” to lodge a claim against Adams due to the government’s legislation on the future of cases related to the Troubles and civil proceedings
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