Bombing victim suing Gerry Adams wants ‘justice and closure’

By Jess Glass, Press Association Law Editor

A victim of a bombing bringing legal action against Gerry Adams has said he wants justice and closure after he finished his evidence.

Barry Laycock, a victim of the 1996 Arndale shopping centre bombing in Manchester, is suing the former Sinn Féin president at the High Court in London along with John Clark, a victim of the 1973 Old Bailey bombing in London, and Jonathan Ganesh, who was injured in the 1996 London Docklands bombing.

The trio allege that Adams was a leading member of the Provisional IRA on those dates, including of its Army Council. They are seeking £1 in damages.

Adams denies that he had any role in the Provisional IRA and is opposing the claim.

Laycock gave evidence on the second day of the trial in London, with Adams attending the hearing.

In his written evidence, Laycock said he was 56 at the time of the bombing and worked at Manchester Victoria station.

“I felt the blast before I heard it,” he said, adding: “I was blown across the room by the blast, about six feet until I smashed into the back wall.”

He continued: “As I hit the lockers, I was immediately in excruciating pain and thought I might be about to die.”

Laycock later said, in his written evidence, that he was diagnosed with PTSD in 1997, has degenerative back injuries, and “(I) still suffer from nightmares and wake up thinking about the bomb to this day”.

He also said in his written evidence that he feels “victimised all over again” when Adams denies he was involved with the IRA.

James Robottom, for Adams, asked Laycock in cross-examination 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.”

He also said that “given my financial struggles after the attack” he could not afford lawyers and until 2017 “his focus” had been on another legal claim.

Later, speaking to reporters outside of the Royal Courts of Justice, Laycock said he was “relieved” to have finished his evidence.

He said: “It’s been a bit traumatic but I feel a little bit relieved and I put my point forward.

“You know my point of view in respect of this, this is for all the victims of terrorism, not only the British, the Irish and all the fathers, the women, the children, whoever.

“This is definitely for all the victims throughout the GB and abroad.”

Asked why it was important to bring the case, Laycock said: “Justice. I really want to see justice, I want to see justice in the end and I want to see closure, not for myself.”

The trial before Justice Swift is expected to end next week.