IRA bomb victims drop civil court claim against Gerry Adams

Three victims of IRA bombings in England on Friday dropped their civil claim for damages against former Irish republican leader Gerry Adams, whom they had sought to hold personally responsible for orchestrating the blasts.

The trio – who were injured in IRA bomb blasts in the 1970s and 1990s – had also sought to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Adams was a senior member of the Irish Republican Army.

But on the very last day of the two-week trial, their lawyer Anne Studd told the High Court in London the case would be discontinued.

The three bomb victims had sued Adams for a symbolic £1 (US$1.33) in damages.

“The parties have agreed … that the claim is discontinued,” said a statement read by Judge Jonathan Swift. He made no order as to costs.

But the lawyers for the claimants said in a statement that the three men had been forced to drop the case due to a procedural issue, calling the outcome “deeply unfair”.