Gavin Robinson says murderers of Adrian Ismay have 'achieved nothing' 10 years after car-bomb victim lost life
Gavin Robinson has paid tribute to prison officer Adrian Ismay, 10 years after his death at the hands of dissident republicans.
The DUP leader said those who killed him were cowards who had achieved nothing.
Mr Ismay died on March 15, 2016, 11 days after he was blown up by an under-vehicle bomb in east Belfast.
East Belfast MP Mr Robinson said: “Ten years ago today, Adrian Ismay lost his life following a cowardly terrorist attack carried by dissident republicans.
"Adrian served as a prison officer and with St John Ambulance, with dedication and courage.
"Today, we remember his life and service and keep his friends, family and colleagues in our thoughts.
"Those who carried out this evil act achieved nothing.
"Their campaign of violence will always fail.”
The victims’ group SEFF said its “thoughts and prayers are with all innocents impacted by the murder of Adrian”.
At the trial of one of his killers, the court found that the device which had killed him had been a motion-activated Semtex bomb.
It had been attached beneath the driver’s footwell the night before using magnets.
Mr Ismay suffered “serious leg injuries and required surgery but initially appeared to make a good recovery,” said the court in its written judgment – but then his condition “suddenly deteriorated” and he suffered a heart attack.
One of his killers, Christopher Robinson, had worked alongside Mr Ismay as a volunteer for St John’s Ambulance Service.
Robinson’s internet activity showed an enthusiasm for militant republicanism and when his house was searched police found walkie-talkies and a number of balaclavas, with Robinson’s barrister arguing that the defendant liked to dress up in costumes and engage in role play – something which the judge declared was “simply not credible”.
Robinson – who denied being a member of the New IRA – was convicted of murder and possession of explosives with intent to endanger life in 2020, and was jailed for a minimum of 22 years.
Mr Ismay was a married father-of-three, aged 52, who was born in Cumbria.
He had previously been a member of the Royal Navy and served during the Falklands War before joining the Prison Service in 1987.
At his funeral, the president of the Methodist Church of Ireland, Rev Brian Anderson, told mourners that “the overwhelming number of people across our country” rejected such attacks, and “want to build an inclusive, peaceful society in Northern Ireland”.
He said: “It’s incumbent upon us as a society to ensure that those men who represent a time in our past don’t get any fuel… [society] does not want them, does not need them, and rejects them utterly.”