London, 1 May – In a dramatic day at the High Court, former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams told a jury that a BBC documentary linking him to the 2006 killing of British agent Denis Donaldson was a “hatchet job” filled with inaccuracies and false claims.
Giving evidence on the second day of his defamation trial against the broadcaster, Mr Adams described his astonishment upon watching the 2016 Spotlight programme, which he claimed unfairly implicated him in sanctioning the murder of Mr Donaldson. “I was astonished,” he told the court, labelling the programme “bogus, wrong, and bad journalism”.
The documentary, aired in September 2016, included an interview with an anonymous man identified only as “Martin”, who claimed to be a former Special Branch agent. Martin alleged that the shooting of Mr Donaldson was approved by the top brass of the IRA, stating that “murders must be approved by the political and military leadership” and that Gerry Adams “gives the final say”.
Mr Adams has firmly denied any involvement in the killing of Mr Donaldson, a long-time Sinn Féin member who had been exposed as a British informer months before he was shot dead at a remote cottage in Co Donegal. He branded the BBC’s coverage of the case as reckless and harmful, claiming it damaged his reputation as a key figure in the Irish peace process.
In court, the jury was shown clips from the Spotlight broadcast, alongside a BBC online article titled “Gerry Adams ‘sanctioned Denis Donaldson killing’”, which remains publicly accessible. Mr Adams criticised the BBC for failing to remove the article, saying, “There was an arrogance involved… they encouraged other media to run with this stuff.”
Mr Adams told the jury he had issued a statement at the time of the broadcast denying the allegations and instructed high-profile libel lawyer Paul Tweed to request a retraction from the BBC. “We invited the BBC to correct the record,” he said.
He argued that the allegations not only harmed his personal standing but also undermined the integrity of the peace process. “It gave a stick to beat those who were trying to make peace work,” he added.
Recalling his relationship with Mr Donaldson, Mr Adams said he had known and liked him, having first met him in Long Kesh prison. Mr Donaldson later worked in an administrative capacity for Sinn Féin at Stormont. However, Mr Adams said their direct dealings were limited, describing Donaldson as operating “at another level within the party”.
He also criticised the 2002 Stormontgate affair – which saw the offices of Sinn Féin at Stormont raided and Donaldson arrested – as “complete nonsense”. The scandal ultimately led to Mr Donaldson’s exposure as a British agent.
Mr Adams recounted how he was informed by party colleague Declan Kearney that Mr Donaldson had confessed to being an informer for over 20 years. Following his expulsion from the party, Adams said he had no contact with Donaldson and was shocked when told by the Secretary of State that he had been murdered.
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“Personally, I think Denis Donaldson was a victim of the conflict,” Mr Adams told the court, adding that he had lobbied the justice department on behalf of the Donaldson family and supported calls for an inquiry into the killing. “A great injustice has been done to the Donaldson family,” he said.
Opening the case, Mr Adams’ barrister Tom Hogan SC argued that the former Sinn Féin leader had been unjustly defamed and that his reputation as a “peacemaker” had suffered significant harm.
In his testimony, Mr Adams reflected on his political beginnings in 1960s Belfast and spoke emotionally about the 1981 hunger strikers, emphasising efforts to pursue a peaceful alternative to armed conflict. He acknowledged the IRA’s formation as a “legitimate response” to Northern Ireland’s situation at the time but stressed that “not everything they did was legitimate”.
Members of the Donaldson family watched proceedings remotely via videolink. The trial is scheduled to continue on Thursday before a jury and Mr Justice Alexander Owens.
