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| SAS 'unjustified' in 1992 shooting of four IRA men | SAS 'unjustified' in 1992 shooting of four IRA men |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The SAS opened fire as the four men entered St Patrick's Church car park in Clonoe, County Tyrone | |
| The use of lethal force by SAS soldiers was unjustified when they opened fire killing four IRA men in an ambush at Clonoe in County Tyrone, an inquest has ruled. | |
| Kevin Barry O'Donnell, 21, Sean O'Farrell, 22, Peter Clancy, 21, and Patrick Vincent, 20, died in February 1992, minutes after they had carried out a gun attack on Coalisland police station. | Kevin Barry O'Donnell, 21, Sean O'Farrell, 22, Peter Clancy, 21, and Patrick Vincent, 20, died in February 1992, minutes after they had carried out a gun attack on Coalisland police station. |
| The soldiers opened fire as the men arrived at St Patrick's Church car park in a hijacked lorry which had a heavy machine gun welded to its tailgate. | The soldiers opened fire as the men arrived at St Patrick's Church car park in a hijacked lorry which had a heavy machine gun welded to its tailgate. |
| Security forces had intelligence the car park would be used and 12 soldiers were in position behind a hedgerow. | Security forces had intelligence the car park would be used and 12 soldiers were in position behind a hedgerow. |
| Lethal force 'cannot have been reasonable' | Lethal force 'cannot have been reasonable' |
| An inquest has ruled the shooting of Peter Clancy, Kevin Barry O'Donnell and Sean O'Farrell by the SAS was unjustified | An inquest has ruled the shooting of Peter Clancy, Kevin Barry O'Donnell and Sean O'Farrell by the SAS was unjustified |
| They opened fire without warning when the lorry drove in – firing more than 500 rounds. | |
| In statements at the time, the soldiers stated the use of lethal force was justified to protect their lives and those of their colleagues from the danger the IRA unit presented. | In statements at the time, the soldiers stated the use of lethal force was justified to protect their lives and those of their colleagues from the danger the IRA unit presented. |
| However, coroner Mr Justice Michael Humphreys found the use of lethal force cannot have been reasonable. | |
| He said there was no attempt to arrest the four IRA men, even as they lay wounded. | He said there was no attempt to arrest the four IRA men, even as they lay wounded. |
| The coroner said the operation "was not planned and controlled in such a way as to minimise to the greatest extent possible the need for recourse to lethal force." | |
| Mr Justice Humphreys added that state agencies had "perpetuated falsehoods" about the incident, having claimed at the time there had been a gun battle. | |
| In fact, the IRA men had not fired on the soldiers. | In fact, the IRA men had not fired on the soldiers. |
| He referred to a Ministry of Defence document which had mentioned the operation as "an excellent security forces success". | |
| 'Prospect of prosecutions' | |
| After the ruling, Patrick Vincent's sister Marian said: "It has been the entirety of my life that this process has been ongoing. | |
| "It's hard to say you're delighted at a finding over your family member's death. | |
| "We're overwhelmed and we're delighted with the result, but we're also very aware at a huge expense to us, as families." | |
| Marian Vincent said families were "overwhelmed" by the result | |
| Solicitor Niall Murphy said: "Anyone who sat through those months of hearings, the inescapable conclusion, the only conclusion is the verdict the judge has found today. | |
| "Whereas truth has been excavated and published today, justice has not. | |
| "We're going to carefully consider this verdict with regards to any prospect of prosecutions." |