Gerry Kelly libel claim backfires: Watch videoclip of the Sinn Fein ex-bomber talking about his role in the IRA Maze uprising – something he tried to sue journalist Malachi O'Doherty over

By Adam Kula
Published 11th Jan 2024, 11:53 BST
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In the wake of Gerry Kelly’s failed attempt to sue a journalist for saying that he shot prison guard John Adams in the head, the News Letter has unearthed this clip of the North Belfast MLA speaking as part of a BBC documentary.

In it Mr Kelly recalls that during the jailbreak he shouted “don’t f***ing move, get on the ground, this is an IRA operation – if you move, I’ll shoot”.

Mr Kelly says he also warned the guard that his “life depends” on him doing what he is told, before the narrator cuts in with the words: “Kelly fired two shots, one of which hit Adams above the eye.”

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The reason Mr Kelly was in the Maze to begin with is because he had been part of an IRA bomb team which planted explosives in London in 1973, wounding many civilian bystanders.

He lodged a libel action claiming that long-standing Belfast journalist Malachi O’Doherty had damaged his reputation by making the claim on radio that he had shot John Adams.

On Monday, the High Court in Belfast threw out Mr Kelly’s claim.