Killings by British Security Forces November 1982 - November 1990

1982

November 11: Sean Burns, Eugene Toman, Gervaise McKerr. All unarmed members of the IRA shot dead by RUC HMSU near Lurgan, Co. Armagh . Three RUC officers prosecuted but acquitted of murder. Inquest still not held.

November 24: Michael Tighe, unarmed civilian. Shot dead by RUC HMSU in a hayshed near Lurgan, Co. Armagh . No prosecutions. Inquest still not held.

by UDR member after a scuffle in Armagh . A UDR corporal was charged with murder, acquitted, then charged with manslaughter but acquitted. Judge said defensive action was necessary.

August 9: Thomas O'Reilly, unarmed civilian shot dead by British soldier in West Belfast after a scuffle. Private Ian Thain convicted of murder but released and returned to British Army after serving only two and a half years.

December 12: Seamus Grew, Roddy Carroll, unarmed INLA members shot dead by RUC HMSU in Armagh city, 1982. An RUC constable prosecuted but acquitted of murder. Inquest still not held.

August 13: Gerald Mallon and Brendan Convery, armed members of the INLA shot dead by RUC after firing at police in Dungannon, Co. Tyrone. No prose­cution.

December 27: Patrick Elliot, unarmed civilian shot dead by British Army after allegedly robbing a shop in West Belfast . Witnesses claim no warning given. No prosecution. Inquest was boycotted by victim's family because soldiers did not turn up.

November 28: Brigid Foster, 80-year-old unarmed civilian shot dead during a post office robber in Pomeroy, Co. Tyrone. Police claim they were fired on by robbers. Witnesses claim the police continued fir­ing into post office after robbers had fled. No prosecution.

1983

January 9: Frank McColgan, civilian armed with imita­tion handgun shot dead by RUC after robbery in Belfast . No prosecution.

February 3: Neil McMonagle, unarmed INLA member shot dead by plainclothes British soldier in Derry . Family claimed he had been lured into a trap. A hand­gun was found buried in a nearby garden. No prosecution. Inquest held April 1984.

March 16: William Millar, armed UVF member shot dead by RUC in a stolen car. RUC claimed he had pointed a machine gun at them. No prosecution. Inquest held September 1985.

July 26: John O'Hare, civilian armed with shotgun shot dead by RUC after a post office robbery. Police claimed he had opened fire. No prosecution.

July 30: Martin Malone, unarmed civilian shot dead

December 4: Brian Campbell and Colm McGirr, IRA members shot dead by undercover troops near an arms cache in Coalisland, Co. Tyrone. Authorities claimed they were armed at the time but a survivor alleged they were shot as they approached the cache. No prosecution. Inquest in March, 1985. Soldiers gave written statements.

1984

January 30: Mark Marron, unarmed joyrider, shot dead by British troops in West Belfast after his car allegedly failed to stop at a roadblock. No prosecu­tion.

February 21: Declan Martin and Henry Hogan, armed IRA members shot dead by undercover soldiers in Dunloy, Co. Antrim. One soldiers was also killed. No prosecutions. Inquest in May 1986. Soldiers submit­ted written statements admitting two were finished off as they lay wounded.

APPENDICES

June 15: Paul McCann, armed INLA member, shot dead in exchange of fire with RUC in a flat in West Belfast . One policeman also killed. No prosecution. July 13: William Price, armed IRA member, shot dead near Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, by British troops who found a revolver and pistol at the scene. No prosecu­tion. Inquest in June 1986 took place without his family being notified.

October 19: Frederick Jackson, unarmed Protestant businessman shot dead by undercover troops in Dungannon during an operation against an IRA unit suspected of planning to kill a UDR member. No prosecution. Inquest in May 1986 heard that Mr. Jackson had been shot once in back of head by a pistol.

December 2: Tony McBride, unarmed IRA member shot dead by undercover troops near Kesh, Co. Fermanagh. No prosecution. Soldiers gave state­ments to inquest in August 1986 claiming he had been shot while trying to escape.

December 6: William Fleming and Daniel Doherty, armed IRA members shot dead by undercover troops in grounds of a hospital in Derry allegedly on their way to kill a UDR member. They were on a motorcy­cle when shot. They fired no shots. No prosecution. Inquest held in December 1986. Jury said the two could have been arrested.

December 17: Sean McIlvenna, armed IRA member shot dead by RUC near Lisbofin, Co. Tyrone after detonating bomb under UDR landrover. His weapon was not fired. No prosecution.

his membership. Two men arrested at scene were released without charge. RUC issued two contradic­tory accounts of the incident which were again contradicted by soldiers' statements at March 1987 inquest. Pathologist said three fatal bullets may have been fired as he lay on his back. No prosecutions.

February 23: Charles Breslin, David Devine and Michael Devine, armed IRA members shot dead by undercover troops near Strabane, Co. Tyrone. They fired no shots. Families claimed they were ambushed by an SAS stake out as they prepared to bury weapons. A pathologist at the February 1987 inquest said two of the victims had been shot 28 times, most­ly while on the ground and that the third victim had been hit on the bridge of the nose. All three had sin­gle bullet wounds to the head.

1986

February 23: Tony Gough, armed IRA member shot dead by British soldiers in Derry following sniping attack on Army base. No prosecution.

April 26: Seamus McElwaine, armed IRA member ambushed by undercover troops near Rosslea, Co. Fermanagh. He fired no shots. British Army issued two contradictory accounts of the incident. No prose­cution.

September 14: James McKernan, unarmed IRA member shot dead by British troops in West Belfast after IRA took over a house. Authorities said he was shot in back while trying to escape. Witnesses said he had raised his hands in surrender when shot. No prosecutions.

1985

January 15: Paul Kelly, unarmed joyrider shot dead by UDR when his stolen car allegedly drove through a checkpoint near West Belfast . No prosecution. Inquest in February 1986 heard claims that UDR believed car contained a terrorist.

February 17: Gerard Logue, unarmed joyrider shot dead by joint RUC/British Army patrol in West Belfast. No prosecutions. Inquest in November 1985 heard RUC claims that car had been driven at members of security forces.

February 18: Francis Bradley, shot dead by under­cover troops in Toomebridge. Authorities said weapons had been recovered nearby, that he was a Republican paramilitary and that two other men had been seen handling weapons. IRA and INLA denied

1987

May 8: Armed IRA members Jim Lynagh, Pat Kelly, Pat McKearney, Declan Arthur, Sean Donnelly, Tony Gormley, Eugene Kelly, Gerald O'Callaghan and unarmed civilian Anthony Hughes shot dead by undercover troops at Loughgall, Co. Armagh . No prosecutions. Relatives of Anthony Hughes have called for an inquiry into the incident.

1988

February 21: Aidan McAnespie, unarmed civilian shot dead by British soldier at Border checkpoint at Aughnacloy, Co. Tyrone. British guardsman David Holden charged with manslaughter but charges later withdrawn.

APPENDICES

March 7: Mairead Farrell, Danny McCann and Sean Savage, unarmed IRA members shot dead by SAS in Gibraltar . No prosecution. Controversial inquest in September returned a verdict of justifiable killing.

August 30: Gerard Harte, Martin Harte and Brian Mullin, armed IRA members, shot dead in British Army undercover ambush near Carrickmore 10 days after 8 soldiers killed in Ballygawley bus bomb. No prosecutions.

1989

September 2: Brian Robinson, armed UVF member, shot dead by undercover troops minutes after he had shot dead a Catholic in Ardoyne, Belfast . Witnesses claimed he had been finished off on the ground after his motorcycle was rammed.

car allegedly drove through a checkpoint in West Belfast , a version strongly disputed by a survivor in the car.

October 8: Desmond Grew, Martin McCaughey, IRA members shot dead by undercover British troops near Armagh . The authorities claim they were armed. No prosecutions.

December 30: Fergal Caraher, unarmed Sinn Fein member shot dead at a British Army checkpoint in Cullyhanna, Co. Armagh

1991

April 10: Colum Marks, IRA member shot dead, apparently by undercover RUC members, as he was assembling a mortar bomb outside Downpatrick police station.

1990

January 13: Peter Thompson, Edward Hale, John McNeill, civilian criminals all shot dead by undercover troops during a robbery of a betting shop in West Belfast . Two were armed with imitation weapons. No prosecutions.

April 18: Martin Corrigan, armed IPLO member shot dead by British troops in garden of an RUC Reservist's home near Kinnego, Co. Armagh. He fired no shots.

September 30: Martin Peake, Karen Reilly, unarmed joyriders shot dead by Paratroopers when their stolen

June 3: Michael Ryan, Lawrence McNally and Anthony Doris, armed IRA members, shot dead by undercover British troops in Coagh, Co. Tyrone.

September 29: Kevin McGovern, college student, shot in the back in Cookstown Co. Tyrone by mem­bers of the RUC. The dead youth's family were given several varying explanations as to how the death occurred.

November 4: Gerard McGinn a 17 year old youth was shot through the head by members of the R.U.C. It is claimed that the car was stationary at the time and that no warning was given.