[10][11] Hanna was named by former British Intelligence Corps operative Colin Wallace as having organised and led the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, along with Jackson. He was also one of the prime suspects in the sectarian killing of Dorothy Traynor on 1 April 1975 in Portadown. Aaron Carter's mom releases shocking pictures of his 'death scene' bathroom in desperate bid to get cops to probe his death as a crime despite coroner saying it was an accidental drugs overdose The scene of the Miami Showband Killings on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland, 31st July 1975. I got them with dum-dums". The Miami Showband killings (also called the Miami Showband Massacre) was an attack by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group, on 31 July 1975. Stroomlijn uw workflow met ons toonaangevende beheersysteem voor digitale bestanden. . [23], According to the Irish Times, at the height of Irish showbands' popularity (from the 1950s to the 1970s), up to as many as 700 bands travelled to venues all over Ireland on a nightly basis.[24]. [83] Journalists Kevin Dowling and Liam Collins in the Irish Independent however, suggested in their respective articles that Jackson had been the leader of the unit. According to Martin Dillon, the order to shoot was given by the patrol's apparent leader, James McDowell,[36] to eliminate witnesses to the bogus checkpoint and subsequent bombing. They were prepared to travel anywhere in Ireland to perform for their fans. [50], The stolen Ford Escort belonged to a man from Portadown, who according to Captain Fred Holroyd, had links with one of the UVF bombers and David Alexander Mulholland the driver of the bomb car which had been left to explode in Parnell Street, Dublin, on 17 May 1974. The UVF maintains regular border patrols due to the continued activity of the Provisional IRA. [53] It was believed he had been betrayed to the RUC by a member of the gang. This had meant the possible withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland. Five members of the Dublin-based band were travelling home after a performance at the Castle Ballroom in Banbridge, County Down, on Thursday 31 July 1975. Some wounds are a deep red, with blood vessels clearly visible; others expose underlying tissue. It would appear that the UVF patrol surprised members of a terrorist organisation transferring weapons to the Miami Showband minibus and that an explosive device of some description was being carried by the Showband for an unlawful purpose. At least four of the gunmen were soldiers from the British Army's Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), and all were members of the UVF. [37] They had hoped to embarrass the Government of Ireland, as well as to draw attention to its level of control of the border. [18] A typical Irish showband was based on the popular six- or seven-member dance band. [86] Weir alleged the bomb used in the Miami Showband attack came from Mitchell's farm. Ray Millar, the band's drummer, was not with them as he had chosen to go to his home town of Antrim to spend the night with his parents. The Provisional IRA carried out the bombing of two pubs in the English city of Birmingham the following November, resulting in 21 deaths. [62] However, police have blamed the IRA. Griffin based her theory on the nine bullets that were fired from a Luger into McCoy's body and that Jackson's fingerprints were found on the silencer used for a Luger. Two of the gunmen were attempting to plant a time bomb on the vehicle, when it prematurely exploded and killed them. crime scene photos 1,913 Vintage Crime Scene Premium High Res Photos Browse 1,913 vintage crime scene stock photos and images available, or search for crime scene photos to find more great stock photos and pictures. It allows for commemoration and leaving of flowers at the location itself. That same year, keyboardist Francis (Fran) O'Toole (from Bray, County Wicklow) had won the Gold Star Award on RT's Reach For the Stars television programme. Mit unserem einfachen Abonnement erhalten Sie Zugriff auf die besten Inhalte von Getty Images. "The arm belonged to John's brother Wesley, who was killed in the Miami explosion. The night after the Miami Showband massacre, gunmen shot a minibus near Gilford. "ReMastered: The Miami Showband . 8 in the Irish charts. Browse 25,406 crime scene photos stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. [62] The attack was blamed on loyalists; Lost Lives an account of every death in the conflict states that reliable loyalist sources have confirmed the UVF was responsible. [19] [36], Des McAlea and Stephen Travers heard two of the gunmen rummaging in the back of the minibus, where they both kept their respective instruments. He described the scene as having "just the smell of utterly death about the place burning blood, burning tyres". This is one of the last photographs taken of the band before the massacre on 31st July 1975. 1,453 Vintage Crime Scene Photos Premium High Res Photos Browse 1,453 vintage crime scene photos stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Weir's affidavit implicating Robin Jackson in a number of attacks including the 1974 Dublin bombings was published in the 2003 Barron Report; the findings of an official investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings commissioned by Irish Supreme Court Judge Henry Barron. The IRA said it killed him because of an alleged association with British Army officer and member of 14th Intelligence Company, Captain Robert Nairac, and claimed it was in possession of his diary, which had been stolen in Portadown.[61]. Verzamel, beheer en geef commentaar bij uw bestanden. In late 1974, the Miami Showband's song "Clap Your Hands and Stomp Your Feet" (featuring O'Toole on lead vocals) reached no. The submachine guns, which had been stolen years earlier from a former member of the B Specials,[52] were linked to prior and later sectarian killings, whereas the Luger had been used to kill leading IRA member John Francis Green the previous January. He was one of the men taken in by the RUC in August 1975 and questioned as a suspect in the killings, but was released without charge. Can you step out of the van for a few minutes and we'll just do a check". In the ensuing confusion the UVF men opened fire on the band, killing three and wounding two. Five people were killed, including three members of The Miami Showband, who were one of Ireland's most popular cabaret bands. Optimieren Sie Ihren Workflow mit unserem erstklassigen Digitalen Asset Management System. It also devastated the burgeoning live music scene in Northern Ireland.. Travers was not able to positively identify Nairac, from his photograph, as having been the man at Buskhill. Hurled in opposite directions, they were both decapitated and their bodies dismembered. Photograph: Independent News and Media/Getty Images He was released in 1998. A". Asked whether he had anything valuable inside the case, Travers replied no. . In his flat - which few people visited - Somerville kept a large photograph of Robin Jackson on the wall of his living room. In prison John Somerville lived a reclusive life. But along with his friend Jackson, he helped build the UVF in mid-Ulster. But as the death toll mounted, so did Somerville's drinking. [6] The existence of these talks led unionists to believe that they were about to be abandoned by the British government and forced into a united Ireland; as a result, the loyalist paramilitary groups reacted with a violence that, combined with the tit-for-tat retaliations from the IRA (despite their ceasefire), made 1975 one of the "bloodiest years of the conflict". This is one of the first real crime scene photos ever taken. Pinnwnde sind ideal zum Speichern von Bildern und Videoclips. "Robin Jackson and John Somerville had been very close friends since joining the Mid-Ulster UVF. Our source also claimed John Somerville told him that in an attempt to break him, a police officer entered the interrogation room carrying a severed human arm in a plastic bag. The Historical Enquiries Team (HET), which was set up to investigate the more controversial Troubles-related deaths, released its report on the Miami Showband killings to the victims' families in December 2011. Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention, Timeline of Ulster Volunteer Force actions, "Sunningdale pushed hardliners into fatal outrages in 1974", "Events: Dublin and Monaghan Bombs Chronology of Events", "Collusion in the South Armagh / Mid Ulster Area in the mid-1970s", "All About the Miami Showband (19611996)", "The Miami Band Lined Up Against the Van. [94][95], A mural and memorial plaque to Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville is in the Killycomain Estate in Portadown, where Boyle had lived. And six years later - seconds before he was handed four life sentences - his voice boomed across the courtroom: "I'm being sent to prison because I wouldn't become an informer like the rest of them," he yelled at the trial judge. How are things? [53] In a letter to the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Bombing of Kay's Tavern dated 22 February 2004, the Northern Ireland Office stated that: "The PSNI have confirmed that a 9mm Luger pistol was ballistically traced both to the murder of John Francis Green and to the Miami Showband murders. They received the blessing of jailed UVF leader Gusty Spence, who was serving life for the Malvern Street murder and shootings in 1966. [77] However, Ministry of Defence documents released in 2020 contain suggestions that Nairac acquired equipment and uniforms for the Miami Showband killers, and that he was responsible for the planning and execution of the attack itself. They had seven number one records on the Irish singles chart . McCoy's words, therefore, were taken seriously by the other band members, and anything he said was considered to be accurate. "Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights, Sub-Committee on the Barron Report", "The Miami Showband Massacre, 1975: A Survivor's Search for the Truth", "Miami Showband Massacre: Involvement of UVF Man Robin Jackson". [18][22] Meanwhile, two other gunmen at the front of the minibus were placing the briefcase containing the bomb under the driver's seat. Jackson was never charged with the Miami atrocity. [47] The UVF gunmen had worn green UDR berets, whereas the other man's had been lighter in colour. [55] Both the silencer and pistol which was later established to have been the same one used in the Miami Showband killings were found by the security forces at the home of Edward Sinclair. [44], McDowell's statement of admission was published in David McKittrick's book Lost Lives:[44]. [44] The independent panel of inquiry commissioned by the Pat Finucane Centre concluded that there was "credible evidence that the principal perpetrator [of the Miami Showband attack] was a man who was not prosecuted alleged RUC Special Branch agent Robin Jackson". [59] Two days later, Portadown disc jockey Norman "Mooch" Kerr, aged 28,[60] was shot dead by the IRA as he packed up his equipment after a show at the Camrick Bar in Armagh. According to Kerr, on 31 July 1975 at 4 am Nairac had started out on a road journey from London to Scotland for a fishing holiday. [22][91] It was revealed in Peter Taylor's book Loyalists that "the Craftsman" had been instrumental in bringing about the 1994 Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) ceasefire. I was told by a source close to "Mr. A" and another loyalist hitman that Nairac was not present at either murder [Miami Showband and John Francis Green]. In this adult animated comedy, Elvis trades his jumpsuit for a jetpack when he joins a secret spy program to stop villains from destroying the world. [31] Travers described McCoy as a "sophisticated, father-type figure. [4][18][28][29] As Crozier took down the information, a car pulled up and another uniformed man appeared on the scene. It was one of a series of four stamps issued by An Post, celebrating the "golden age of the Irish showband era from the 1950s to the 1970s".[24]. [68] McDowell had pleaded guilty. In a report published in the Sunday Mirror in 1999, Colin Wills called the Miami Showband attack "one of the worst atrocities in the 30-year history of the Troubles". Others had already been convicted for the Miami attack and they wanted John to stay in the UVF, but to work for them," said a former loyalist prisoner who served time in prison with Somerville. Those responsible for the attack belonged to the Glenanne gang, a secret alliance of loyalist militants, Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) police officers and UDR soldiers. The band was . [30] Travers, the band's new bass player, assumed he was a British Army officer, an opinion shared by McCoy. [68] During the trial, Des McAlea had received death threats which made him fear for the safety of his family; this caused him to eventually leave Northern Ireland. Miami Showband massacre survivors and relatives to get 1.5m in damages 'I wake up to these murders every day of my life,' band member Des McAlea tells court Expand The Miami Showband (from. The Miami Showband killings (also called the Miami Showband Massacre) was an attack by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group, on 31 July 1975. Brian McCoy was the first to die, having been hit in the back and neck by nine rounds from a 9mm Luger pistol in the initial volley of gunfire. As Maguire continued ahead, up the by-pass toward Newry, he noticed a blue Triumph 2000 pulling-out from where it had been parked in a lay-by. The band's road manager, Brian Maguire, had already gone ahead a few minutes earlier in the equipment van. [93], A monument dedicated to the dead Miami Showband members was unveiled at a ceremony at Parnell Square North, Dublin, on 10 December 2007. [62][64], On 24 August 1975, Catholic civilians Colm McCartney and Sean Farmer were stopped in their car at what is believed to have been another fake checkpoint at Altnamackin (near Newtownhamilton). The attack was carried out by loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and took place while the group, a popular cabaret band, were travelling home to Dublin after a performance. At about 2:30am, when the band was seven miles (11km) north of Newry on the main A1 road, their Volkswagen minibus (driven by trumpeter Brian McCoy with bassist Stephen Travers in the front seat beside him) reached the townland of Buskhill. The dead bombers were named by the UVF, in a statement issued within 12 hours of the attack. Tony Geraghty also attempted to escape; but he was caught by the gunmen and shot twice in the back of his head and a number of times in the back. [22] He presently resides near Craigavon. [84], The families held a press conference in Dublin after the report was released. The 55-cent stamp, designed with a 1967 publicity photograph of the band, included two of the slain members, Fran O'Toole and Brian McCoy, as part of the line-up when Dickie Rock was the frontman. The Miami Showband minibus with five members in all was stopped at a bogus army checkpoint in Northern Ireland and three were killed and two, including Travers, badly injured in July 1975. [48] Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville were UDR soldiers as well as holding the rank of major and lieutenant, respectively, in the UVF. [4] The band had no overt interest in politics nor in the religious beliefs of the people who made up their audience. The scene of the Miami Showband killings in County Down, Northern Ireland, on 31 July 1975. Maguire recalled that the car first slowed down, then it accelerated, flashing its lights. [19] The Irish Times reported that on the night following the attack, the British ambassador Sir Arthur Galsworthy was summoned to hear the Government of Ireland's strong feelings regarding the murder of the three band members. Bei kommerzieller Verwendung sowie fr verkaufsfrdernde Zwecke kontaktieren Sie bitte Ihr. But it went nowhere when a senior RUC officer advised the UVF leader to lie low for a while. The scene of the Miami Showband massacre Somerville would never. The Miami Showband massacre in 1975, had a devastating effect on the showband and live music scene. The HET said the killings raised "disturbing questions about collusive and corrupt behaviour". After receiving radio confirmation that there were no authorised checkpoints in the area that night, they reported the incident and requested help from the British Army to investigate it, but no action was taken. [76] Retired diplomat Alistair Kerr wrote a biography of Nairac entitled "Betrayal: the Murder of Robert Nairac" published in 2015, which offers documentary evidence that clears Nairac of having been at Buskhill overseeing the attack. [79] and that none of the perpetrators ever offered him an apology. [5] Their fears were slightly grounded in fact, as the MI6 officer Michael Oatley was involved in negotiations with a member of the IRA Army Council, during which "structures of disengagement" from Ireland were discussed. The only identifiable body part from the bombers to survive the blast (which had been heard up to 4 miles (6.4km) away) was a severed arm belonging to Wesley Somerville. [53] The judge, by sentencing McDowell and Crozier to 35 years imprisonment each, had handed down the longest life sentences in the history of Northern Ireland; he commented that "killings like the Miami Showband must be stopped". Aged 70, he died of cancer of the kidney. "Kevin Myers: The Miami Showband massacre was one of the most depraved massacres of the Troubles". [4], A continued allegation in the case has been the presence of Captain Robert Nairac at the scene. [19] In early 1973, Billy MacDonald (a.k.a. Assuming it was a legitimate checkpoint, McCoy informed the others inside the minibus of a military checkpoint up ahead and pulled in at the lay-by as directed by the armed men. The Miami Showband reformed in 2008, with Stephen Travers, Des McAlea, and Ray Millar, plus new members. And nearer home, they carried out five operations in one day in the Moy and Stewartstown. Then They Were Coldly Murdered", "An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland: 1975", "Sub-Committee on the Barron Report 26September 2006 Public Hearings on the Barron Report". They sprung terror attacks in south Armagh, south Down, east Tyrone and even as far away as south Derry. [2] On 4 April 1974, the proscription against the UVF had been lifted by Merlyn Rees, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. [80] The same panel revealed that about six weeks before the attack, Thomas Crozier, Jackson and the latter's brother-in-law Samuel Fulton Neill, were arrested for the possession of four shotguns. One of these men, Lance-Corporal Thomas Raymond Crozier (aged 25, a painting contractor from Lurgan) of C Company, 11th Battalion UDR was charged with the Miami killings. By this time the gunmen had left the scene, assuming everyone else had been killed. It was found 100 yards (91m) from the site with a "UVF Portadown" tattoo on it. He refused to name his accomplices, as he felt that to do so would put the lives of his family in danger. Organiseer, beheer, distribueer en meet al uw digitale content. I was given a sub-machine gun but I had never fired it. Two serving UDR soldiers and one former UDR soldier were found guilty of the murders and received life sentences; they were released in 1998. [96], In a report on Nairac's alleged involvement in the massacre, published in the Sunday Mirror newspaper on 16 May 1999, Colin Wills called the ambush "one of the worst atrocities in the 30-year history of the Troubles". [36] Dillon opined that another reason the UVF decided to target the Miami Showband was because Irish nationalists held them in high regard; to attack the band was to strike the nationalists indirectly. According to RT, "Their families were in deep mourning and Ireland mourned with them". On October 23, 1975, Somerville and Jackson led a UVF team in the savage murders of Peter McKearney (63) and his wife Jane (58) at their home near the Moy. Boards zijn de beste plekken om beelden en videoclips op te slaan. [4] Despite the heavy gunfire, Tony Geraghty and Fran O'Toole attempted to carry a severely injured Stephen Travers to safety, but were unable to move him far. He believed it was based on the erroneous linkage of Nairac to the earlier murder of IRA man John Francis Green in County Monaghan the same pistol was used in both attacks. Findings in a report carried out by the PSNI's Historic Enquiries Team into the Miami atrocity stated that there was fingerprint evidence linking Robin Jackson to the attack. They also discovered a stolen white Ford Escort registration number 4933 LZ,[43] which had been left behind by the gunmen, along with two guns, ammunition, green UDR berets and a pair of glasses later traced to James McDowell, the gunman who had allegedly ordered the shootings. Updated / Monday, 13 Dec 2021 22:28. But by this time, he was ready to go to jail. And despite being married with a family, he immersed himself in loyalist terrorism. In 1978, he became a born-again Christian. It is obvious, therefore, that the UVF patrol was justified in taking the action it did and that the killing of the three Showband members should be regarded as justifiable homicide. The Gruesome Death Scene Launch Gallery. Their name comes from a farm in Glenanne, County Armagh, which was owned by RUC reservist James Mitchell; according to ex-RUC Special Patrol Group officer John Weir, it was used as a UVF arms dump and bomb-making site. The emergence of discos later in the decade meant that ballrooms were converted into nightclubs, leaving the showbands with few venues available in which to perform. On April 17, 1975, Somerville and Jackson blew up a Catholic-owned cottage which was being renovated at Killyliss between Dungannon and Ballygawley. It was my own personal feelings and convictions at the time these things happened. However, the flames from the burning hedge (which had been set on fire by the explosion) soon came dangerously close to where he lay; he was forced to leave his hiding spot. Vergrern Sie die Reichweite Ihrer Marke authentisch und teilen Sie Markeninhalte mit Kreativen im Internet. Irish Times diarist Frank McNally summed up the massacre as "an incident that encapsulated all the madness of the time". [5] At Christmas 1974 the IRA declared a ceasefire, which theoretically lasted throughout most of 1975. "IRA 'responsible' for killings blamed on loyalists", "Decision as to the admissibility of Application no. [89] Hudson, a Unitarian minister, had been a close friend of Fran O'Toole. Date: 12th November 1941 Means: Assassinated. 10th December, 2014. Miljoenen beelden, videos en muzikale opties van hoge kwaliteit wachten op u. Maak gebruik van de wereldwijde schaalgrootte, data-gedreven inzichten en het netwerk van meer dan 340.000 makers van Getty Images om voor uw merk exclusieve content te creren. Griffin goes on to add that the bogus checkpoint was set up not only to plant the bomb on board the van but to ensure the presence of McCoy which would have been confirmed when he handed over his driving licence to the gunmen. However, later forensics established that Boyle and Somerville were putting the bomb under the driver's seat and as it tilted on its side it detonated. "[54] In May 1976, Robin Jackson's fingerprints were discovered on the metal barrel of a home-made silencer constructed for a Luger. [35] Regarding the soldier with the English accent, Dillon wrote:[75]. The latest from Netflix's ReMastered series focusses on the Miami Showband massacre, which took place at Banbridge, Co. Down on July 31, 1975. O'Toole was noted for his good looks and popularity with female fans,[20] and was described by the Miami Showband's former bass guitarist, Paul Ashford, as having been the "greatest soul singer" in Ireland. Just after the arrival of this mysterious soldier, McCoy nudged Travers, who was standing beside him, and reassured him by saying "Don't worry Stephen, this is British Army". View On One Page Photo 22 of 51 ADVERTISEMENT () Start Slideshow . At no time did this new soldier speak to any of the band members nor did he directly address Crozier. Survivors and relatives of those murdered in the Miami Showband massacre are to receive nearly 1.5m (1.75m) in total damages to settle claims over . She furthermore opined that Jackson was the man Travers saw kicking McCoy's body to make sure he was dead. As they began to enter the vehicle, a bomb was detonated and both men were killed outright. They asked him if he recognised it or could he identify it. 50 True-Crime Documentaries on Netflix | 2023 . 1.6K. [4][21], The jocular mood of the gunmen abruptly ceased. Three UVF members are being treated for gunshot wounds after last night but not in hospital. It is fronted by McAlea, who returned to Northern Ireland the same year after living in South Africa since about 1982. [21] He was replaced by Johnny Brown, who in turn was replaced by Dave Monks until Stephen Travers eventually became the band's permanent bass player. [4], In May 1974, unionists called a general strike to protest against the Sunningdale Agreement an attempt at power-sharing, setting up a Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland, which would have given the Government of Ireland a voice in running Northern Ireland. [21][36] He suggested that had all gone according to plan, the loyalist extremists would have been able to clandestinely bomb the Republic of Ireland, yet claim that the band were republican bomb-smugglers carrying explosives on behalf of the IRA. Using a similar terror technique, they set up another fake checkpoint at Cornalaght, Newtownhamilton. It comprised elements of the British security forces who, together with the UVF, carried out sectarian killings in the Mid-Ulster/County Armagh area. The mother of the late singer-rapper Aaron Carter released photos of the scene of his death Wednesday, calling for a "real . The gunman turned him round, punched him hard in the back and pushed him on the shoulder back into the line-up. The attack was carried out by loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and took place while the group, a popular cabaret band, were travelling home to Dublin after a performance. 3/2/2023 1:00 AM PT. They had killed many Catholics together and they trusted each other implicitly," said our source. His leadership was endorsed by the UVF's leader Gusty Spence. The Miami Showband was a popular Dublin-based Irish showband, enjoying fame and, according to journalist Peter Taylor, "Beatle-like devotion" from fans on both sides of the Irish border. The UVF man, who identified himself only as "the Craftsman", apologised to Travers for the attack, and explained that the UVF gunmen shot the band because they "had panicked" that night. No one coerced me. [34][81][82] The panel stated that it was unclear why Crozier, Jackson and Neill were not in police custody at the time the Miami Showband killings took place. RM G4PYFC - Miami Showband massacre RM EC8F8C - London, UK. The two men were found shot dead nearby. Four Protestant civilians (two men and two women) and UVF member Hugh Harris were killed in the attack. Agent Elvis. As the UUUC would not abide any form of power-sharing with the Dublin government, no agreement could be reached and the convention failed, again marginalising Northern Ireland's politicians and the communities they represented. But two other UVF men, Thomas Crozier and James McDowell - both soldiers in the UDR - were jailed for life. [18] More uniformed men appeared from out of the darkness, their guns pointed at the minibus. Browse 22 the miami showband stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. [22], At least four of the gunmen were soldiers from the UDR. The Luger was destroyed by the RUC on 28 August 1978. Robin Jackson died of cancer in May 1998 aged 49. Everybody was respectful to Brian". It took place on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland. "Des Lee"), 24, Catholic, from Belfast; bassist Stephen Travers, 24, Catholic, from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary; and drummer Ray Millar, Protestant, from Antrim. "Billy Mac") took over as the group's frontman when the Simon brothers quit the band. [27], After McCoy told them they were the Miami Showband, Thomas Crozier (who had a notebook) asked the band members for their names and addresses, while the others bantered with them about the success of their performance that night and playfully asking which one was Dickie Rock. [4][22][74] In his book The Dirty War, Martin Dillon adamantly dismissed the allegation that Nairac had been present.