A civil lawsuit seeking damages from former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams was closed on Friday after three men who were victims of Provisional Irish Republican Army bombings in England discontinued their claim.
The trial in the High Court in London had been due to finish the final day of a two-week hearing, but proceedings were halted when Adams’s lawyer, Edward Craven, said the claim appeared intended to produce a “public inquiry‑style” airing that could amount to an abuse of the court process. The solicitor for the three men subsequently told the court the claim would be discontinued after “proceedings developed overnight” related to that argument. She said her clients would not be liable for Adams’s costs and gave no further details.
The men had accused Adams of being “directly responsible for and complicit in those decisions made by that organization to detonate bombs on the British mainland in 1973 and 1996.” The claimants were survivors of the 1973 Old Bailey bombing in London, the 1996 London Docklands attack and the 1996 Arndale shopping centre bombing in Manchester. They sued for a symbolic £1 in damages, alleging Adams was a leading member of the Provisional IRA at the relevant times, including membership of its Army Council.
Adams welcomed what he called the “emphatic end” of the case, saying the claims “should never have been brought.” He denied any involvement in the attacks or membership of the IRA, and said he attended the trial “out of respect” for the victims and to defend himself “against the smears and false accusations” made against him. While he said he did not defend all IRA actions, he reiterated his long‑standing assertion of the legitimacy of the republican cause and the right of the Irish people to self‑determination.
The hearing marked the first time Adams, 77, had given evidence in an English court. Adams, who became Sinn Féin leader in 1983, has long been associated with the conflict known as the Troubles but later emerged as a key figure in the peace process that produced the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. He served as an MP in Northern Ireland between 1983–1992 and 1997–2011 but, following Sinn Féin policy, did not take his seat in the UK House of Commons.
Edited by: Alex Berry