Northern Ireland

Use of lethal force in SAS killing of four IRA men ‘not justified’ coroner finds

Four IRA men died in Clonoe ambush

From left, Peter Clancy, Kevin Barry O'Donnell and Sean O'Farrell were among the four men shot dead
From left, Peter Clancy, Kevin Barry O'Donnell and Sean O'Farrell were among the four men shot dead
By Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent

A coroner has found that the use of force in the SAS killing of four IRA men in a suspected shoot to kill operation in Co Tyrone was “not justified”.

Kevin Barry O’Donnell (21), Sean O’Farrell (22), Peter Clancy (21) and Patrick Vincent (20) were shot dead in the grounds of St Patrick’s Church at Clonoe, near Coalisland, in February 1992.

 The ambush scene where four IRA men were shot dead by the British army in February 1992
 The ambush scene where four IRA men were shot dead by the British army in February 1992

The four men had earlier taken part in a gun attack on Coalisland RUC station.

Several people were also injured during the incident.

At a hearing Belfast on Thursday coroner Michael Humphreys said that “in each case the use of force was not justified”.

“The soldiers did not have an honest belief that it was necessary, that in order to prevent loss of life, and the use of force by the soldiers was in the circumstances they believe them to be not reasonable,” he said.

“The operation was not planned and controlled in such a way to as to minimise as to the greatest extent possible the need for recourse to lethal force.”