Doug Beattie: Jury didn’t rule on Gerry Adams ‘peacemaker’ claim
Former Ulster Unionist Party leader Doug Beattie says victims will have been left “exasperated” by the ruling in the Gerry Adams libel case against the BBC.
Mr Adams claimed a BBC ‘Spotlight’ programme, and an accompanying online story, defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson, which he denies any involvement in.
A jury at the High Court in Dublin found in Mr Adams’s favour on Friday after determining that was the meaning of the words included in the BBC stories. He was awarded €100,000 (£84,000) in damages.
Mr Adams has always denied being a member of the IRA.
In a statement regarding the verdict, Mr Beattie said: “The defamation case rested on subjective views from a jury. It did not make a ruling in regards to Gerry Adams and his self-proclaimed peacemaker label.
“Many victims will be exasperated by this ruling even if they are not surprised.
“I can’t say who gave the final approval for the murder of Donaldson, but regardless of the misinformation, it was the Provisional Army Council that sanctioned it. Anyone saying otherwise is naive and lacks critical thinking.
“I hope the BBC continue their investigatory journalism and delve into the link between PIRA and Sinn Fein and the murky world they continue to move in.”
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Ann Travers, whose sister Mary was murdered by the IRA in 1984, stated: “Jennifer O’Leary is an investigative journalist full of integrity. I’m devastated for her, the BBC legal team and of course for all of us who have had the IRA destroy our families and then had to listen to Adams condone it.
“The payout is disgusting. Too many of us have had to re-live our trauma to apply for a ‘victim’s pension’ which could only be £2,700 a year approx (minimum).
“Let’s hope Adams gives that €100,000 to charities who support IRA victims."
Mairia Cahill, who spoke out about alleged abuse at the hands of an IRA man in 2014, said how Ms Travers was left “traumatised” after giving evidence at the trial.
She posted on X: “Ann wasn't in the BBC programme, but she agreed to go to court to simply tell the truth. It traumatised her.”