Northern Ireland: Widow of man turned into ‘human bomb’ by IRA criticises Troubles legacy bill

Published

2 years ago

September 6, 2023

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The widow of a man turned into a “human bomb” by the IRA has hit out at a controversial law which would effectively end prosecutions linked to The Troubles in Northern Ireland.

MPs have approved the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill, which will stop new cases and inquests being opened into killings on both sides of the conflict, as it passed its final Commons hurdle.

Patsy Gillespie, from Derry, was strapped into a van and forced to drive a bomb into a British Army checkpoint on the border between Londonderry and Donegal on 24 October 1990.

The device was triggered by remote control and the 43-year-old man was killed along with five soldiers – he managed to save the lives of other troops after shouting a warning to them.

Sinn Fein described him as a “legitimate target” because he worked in the army’s canteen. But no-one has ever been convicted over the atrocity.

The Troubles in Northern Ireland lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998.

Under the new Westminster law, which has sparked anger from all sides on the island of Ireland, conditional amnesty will be offered to those who reveal information about the incidents to a new truth recovery body.

‘They’re not getting punished’

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Gillespie’s widow Kathleen criticised the legislation, saying: “What they did to Patsy has been condoned and all the other atrocities are being condoned.

“At the end of the day, they’re getting away with what they’ve done. And they think they are these big men, they are trotting about… And they’re not getting punished.

“So let me ask whoever is listening to this. How would you feel if you were in my position? Would you be alright about it.”

She said if one of the men involved in the 1990 attack ever came to her front door asking for forgiveness she said she would “make it very clear there was no forgiveness in me”.

Mrs Gillespie added: “The one question that I would ask is, what made you think it was okay to sit down with other men and plan what you did to my husband?”

Why bill could be biggest test of Anglo-Irish relations in 50 years

David Blevins

Senior Ireland correspondent

@skydavidblevins

Legislation to end historical prosecutions in Northern Ireland could be the biggest test of Anglo-Irish relations in half a century.

It was 1971 when Dublin last brought a case against the UK government to the European Court of Human Rights.

Opposition to the controversial Legacy Bill has created the most unlikely alliance of Unionists, Nationalists, Dublin, Washington and the EU.

The government will focus on the fact that British Army veterans will be granted immunity from prosecution for historical offences.

But the amnesty will also apply to the very terrorists who murdered British soldiers on the streets of Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris claims the bill will “draw a line under the past”.

But relatives of victims say it only benefits perpetrators because it is they who will choose between truth and justice.

If someone accused of murder provides information to a new Truth Recovery Body, they will be granted a prosecutorial amnesty.

With 3,000 of the 3,500 Troubles murders unresolved, the legacy of the past has clouded the Northern Ireland peace process.

But the cloud won’t be lifted by demanding too high a price from those who have paid most – the victims.

Gerry Duddy, whose 17-year-old brother Jackie was shot dead by British soldiers on Bloody Sunday in 1972, said he was “very angry” at the new legislation because he “never got any justice”.

He told Sky News: “If I draw a line now, I am letting my brother down and other people that died and to the British Army.

“And I made a promise one time and I intend to keep that promise going for as long as I’m here on this Earth.

“I’m very, very angry. We never got the chance to finally finish grieving. We are still grieving because we never got any justice.”

Last year, the sister of Jackie Derry urged the soldier who fired the fatal shot to admit it.

Kay Duddy said Jackie cannot rest until that happens and directly appealed to former members of the British Parachute Regiment.

She said: “Please put your hands up and say you did it, so we can lay our wee brother to rest.”

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has said he believes the bill – which will now return to the Lords to be approved before becoming law – will “draw a line under the past”, and it has received support from a number of veterans’ organisations.

Politics

UK, Australia, Germany, Italy and New Zealand condemn Israel’s plan for new operation in Gaza

Published

2 hours ago

August 9, 2025

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UK, Australia, Germany, Italy and New Zealand condemn Israel's plan for new operation in Gaza

The UK and four allies have criticised Israel’s decision to launch a new large-scale military operation in Gaza – warning it will “aggravate the catastrophic humanitarian situation” in the territory.

The foreign ministers of Britain, Australia, Germany, Italy and New Zealand said in a joint statement that the offensive will “endanger the lives of hostages” and “risk violating international humanitarian law”.

It comes a day after Israel’s security cabinet approved an operation to take military control of Gaza City – and concluded a full takeover of the enclave is required to end the conflict.

It marks another escalation in the war in Gaza, sparked by the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023.

In their joint statement, the UK and its allies said they “strongly reject” the decision, adding: “It will endanger the lives of the hostages and further risk the mass displacement of civilians.

“The plans that the government of Israel has announced risk violating international humanitarian law. Any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law.”

The countries also called for a permanent ceasefire as “the worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding in Gaza”.

It comes as Sky News analysis has found that airdrops of aid are making little difference to Gaza’s hunger crisis, and pose serious risks to the population – with a father-of-two killed by a falling package.

Meanwhile, France, Canada, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the United Nations all criticised Israel’s plan for a full occupation of Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “expressed his disappointment” with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s in phone call on Friday after Berlin decided it would stop selling arms to Israel.

In a post on X, the Israeli prime minister’s office added: “Instead of supporting Israel’s just war against Hamas, which carried out the most horrific attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, Germany is rewarding Hamas terrorism by embargoing arms to Israel.”

US ambassador hits out at Starmer

Earlier on Friday, the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, criticised Sir Keir Starmer after he said Israel’s decision to “escalate its offensive” in Gaza is “wrong”.

Mr Huckabee wrote on X: “So Israel is expected to surrender to Hamas & feed them even though Israeli hostages are being starved? Did UK surrender to Nazis and drop food to them? Ever heard of Dresden, PM Starmer? That wasn’t food you dropped. If you had been PM then UK would be speaking German!”

In another post around an hour later Mr Huckabee wrote: “How much food has Starmer and the UK sent to Gaza?

“@IsraeliPM has already sent 2 MILLION TONS into Gaza & none of it even getting to hostages.”

Sir Keir has pledged to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government meets a series of conditions towards ending the war in Gaza.

The UK and its allies criticised Israel as US President JD Vance and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy met at Chevening House in Kent on Friday.

Mr Vance described a “disagreement” about how the US and UK could achieve their “common objectives” in the Middle East, and said the Trump administration had “no plans to recognise a Palestinian state”.

He said: “I don’t know what it would mean to really recognise a Palestinian state given the lack of functional government there.”

Mr Vance added: “There’s a lot of common objectives here. There is some, I think, disagreement about how exactly to accomplish those common objectives, but look, it’s a tough situation.”

The UN Security Council will meet on Saturday to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

Ambassador Riyad Mansour, permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, said earlier on Friday that a number of countries would be requesting a meeting of the UN Security Council on Israel’s plans.

Politics

BlackRock launching a SOL ETF in first wave would be ‘messed up’ — Analyst

Published

3 hours ago

August 9, 2025

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<div>BlackRock launching a SOL ETF in first wave would be 'messed up' — Analyst</div>

BlackRock hasn’t filed for a Solana ETF, but ETF analyst James Seyffart says they shouldn’t be allowed to jump in at the last minute after other issuers’ hard work.