Docklands bombing victim believes Gerry Adams played 'major part' in IRA

A man injured in the London Docklands bombing has said he believes Gerry Adams played a "major part" in the IRA.

Jonathan Ganesh was giving evidence on the second day of a civil trial being brought against the former Sinn Féin leader in London.

Adams strenuously denies any involvement in the London and Manchester bombings in 1973 and 1996 and has denied ever being a member of the IRA or sitting on its ruling army council.

He is being sued for "vindicatory" damages of £1 each by John Clark, Jonathan Ganesh and Barry Laycock, who were injured respectively in the Old Bailey attack in 1973 and the London Docklands and Manchester bombings in 1996.

It has been alleged in court that Adams is as "culpable" for the attacks as those who planted and detonated the bombs.

Adams' lawyers have claimed the case is built on "an assortment of hearsay evidence" and have criticised the timing of the case, which is being brought several decades after the attacks.

'Seeking some sort of justice'

The first witness to give evidence, Ganesh was a security guard based at South Quay Docklands at the time of the explosion in February 1996, which blew him off his feet and perforated his ear drums.

Two of his friends were killed and he suffers from significant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Ganesh told the court that he is seeking "some sort of justice" for himself, as well as other IRA victims.

Under cross-examination he was asked: "You want to be able to say that Gerry Adams is the man responsible for the bomb that injured you?"

He replied: "That's right."

Ganesh continued: "I don't suggest for one minute that Mr Adams planted the bomb.

"I do believe he played a major part in the IRA and I thought he had some involvement with the attack.

Adams' barrister James Robottom asked Ganesh why he did not bring the case against Adams years earlier.

The witness replied that he thought the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 would have prevented him from bringing a claim against Mr Adams.

He said it was only when Adams announced his intention to sue the government over his unlawful internment without trial, that he explored the possibility of bringing a case.

Asked if he is seeking justice against "the first person you could find", he replied: "That's not true."

Victim wants 'truth to be established'

Barry Laycock was injured in the Manchester Arndale shopping centre bombing in June 1996.

The former British Rail worker, suffered back and leg injuries in the attack and was later diagnosed with PTSD.

Adams' barrister asked him why he was bringing the case decades after the Arndale bombing.

Laycock said he had decided that if Adams was bringing a legal case against the government, he wanted to bring a case against the former Sinn Féin leader.

The witness said he wanted the "truth to be established" during the hearing.

He added: "I think he (Adams) had an involvement with the IRA."

Laycock was asked why he had not instructed solicitors sooner against Adams, as they had already been acting on his behalf between 2017 and 2021 in seeking compensation from the British government over the use of Semtex supplied to the IRA by Libya during the Troubles.

Adams' barrister James Robottom put it to Laycock that "seeking justice from Gerry Adams during that period was never that important to you".

The witness replied: "I've been seeking justice for 28 years... it's not about money, it's about seeking justice."

Adams' barrister told the court that the "real reason" Laycock had waited until 2022 to seek a case against the former Sinn Féin leader was that the legacy act was going to come into effect, which would put a halt on all Troubles-era civil cases.

Laycock said he knew the legislation was going through Parliament but that he "weren't right sure about it".

Speaking ahead of today's hearing, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said it would be a "seismic" moment if the court rules that Gerry Adams is personally liable for the injuries the three men received in IRA bomb attacks.

Gavin Robinson and party colleague Gregory Campbell watched proceedings from the public gallery, seated three rows behind Adams.

Robinson said: "I think it's important for us and the experience that we have had in Northern Ireland to stand here with victims who experienced the trauma of the troubles right across the United Kingdom.

"We have met Jonathan Ganesh on a number of occasions, and we think this is an important case."

"I believe that Gerry Adams was in the IRA.

"That won't change through this case, but if our system establishes that he was, and that liability rests with him, then that will be seismic."