Adams' Lawyer Questions Delay in Claim Filing
A barrister representing Gerry Adams in a civil trial in London has raised questions about why the three men filing the claim waited several decades before initiating legal action.
The claimants allege that Adams, aged 77, is personally responsible for injuries sustained in IRA attacks in London and Manchester in 1973 and 1996.
This marks the eighth day of the trial at the High Court, which has included testimony from 12 witnesses, including Adams himself, who gave evidence for nearly 10 hours.
The former Sinn Féin leader has denied any involvement in the bombings and strongly refuted assertions that he was a "major player" in the IRA.
Adams' legal team contends that the case should be subject to the three-year limitation period established by legislation enacted in 1980.
Delay in Bringing Claims Highlighted
On Thursday, Adams' barrister informed the court that the delay by John Clark, injured in the 1973 Old Bailey bombing, in bringing his claim almost 50 years after the incident was "genuinely unprecedented in magnitude."
"We have not been able to find a case where Section 33 (of the limitation act) has been disapplied after such a long delay, almost half a century," said Craven.
Clark did not appear in court due to ill health but provided a written statement outlining several reasons for the delay, including the death of his wife in 1981, caring for young children at the time, and his belief that no claims could be pursued after the Troubles ended in 1998.
Craven referenced two other civil cases filed in later years—the Omagh bomb claim and the Hyde Park bomb case—which were successful, questioning whether the current claimants were aware of these precedents.
Other Claimants and Timing of Claims
Regarding the second claimant, Jonathan Ganesh, injured in the 1996 London Docklands attack, Craven noted that Ganesh only decided to pursue a case after learning about Adams' 2020 legal action against the government over wrongful internment in the 1970s.
Ganesh ultimately did not initiate his claim until May 2022, leading Craven to suggest that the claimant was not "acting promptly and reasonably."
The third claimant, Barry Laycock, who was injured in the 1996 Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre bombing, testified last week.
Claims Filed at Last Minute
Adams' barrister proposed that the claimants delayed their legal action "to the last minute" in 2022, prompted by the then-Conservative government's planned Troubles legacy legislation, which was about to be introduced in Parliament and would have prevented new civil cases related to the Troubles era.
When questioned by Mr Justice Swift, presiding over the case, Craven clarified that he was not suggesting the claimants were "acting irrationally," but that if not for the impending legacy act, the claims might never have been filed.
"The door closing was why they rushed to get through it," he added.
The victims are seeking £1 each in "vindicatory" damages.
Adams' legal team has argued that the case relies on "an assortment of hearsay" and that it has been brought several decades too late.
