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. 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. [18] More uniformed men appeared from out of the darkness, their guns pointed at the minibus. They were both present when the Miami Showband bomb exploded, but the shootings which followed seconds later - including the slaughter of Fran O'Toole - were mainly the work of John Somerville. . 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. In the ensuing confusion the UVF men opened fire on the band, killing three and wounding two. 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. [30][39], When the device was tilted on its side,[30] clumsy soldering on the clock used as a timer caused the bomb to explode prematurely, blowing the minibus apart and killing UVF men Harris Boyle (aged 22, a telephone wireman from Portadown) and Wesley Somerville (aged 34, a textile worker from Moygashel) instantly. At no time did this new soldier speak to any of the band members nor did he directly address Crozier. Het ontwerp van Getty Images is een handelsmerk van Getty Images. The scene of the Miami Showband killings in County Down, Northern Ireland, on 31 July 1975. He relayed all his instructions to the gunman in command. The Luger was destroyed by the RUC on 28 August 1978. Organisieren, kontrollieren, verteilen und messen Sie alle Ihre digitalen Inhalte. [53] The three convicted UVF men, although admitting to having been at the scene, denied having shot anyone. Jackson was convinced Hanna was a Special Branch informer and he feared he may spill details of the imminent Miami attack to his RUC handler. The HET said the killings raised "disturbing questions about collusive and corrupt behaviour". Jane Carter says late son received many threats prior to his death. 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 . The scene of the Miami Showband killings in County Down, Northern Ireland, on 31 July 1975. O'Toole and McCoy were both married; each had two children. Lightly built and standing less than 5ft 7in, he wasn't a stereotypical loyalist killer. According to loyalists who knew him, Somerville turned down countless RUC Special Branch offers to work as a police agent. December 29, 2022 by Corinne Sullivan. As they were being questioned, Major Boyle and Lieutenant Somerville began to search the minibus. "Kevin Myers: The Miami Showband massacre was one of the most depraved massacres of the Troubles". [69], A third person, former UDR soldier John James Somerville (aged 37, a lorry-helper and the brother of Wesley), was arrested following an RUC raid in Dungannon on 26 September 1980. Optimieren Sie Ihren Workflow mit unserem erstklassigen Digitalen Asset Management System. [100] According to the report, Jackson had claimed during police interrogations that after the shootings, a senior RUC officer had advised him to "lie low". [47][71] In his first parliamentary speech on 7 July 1987, Ken Livingstone MP told the House of Commons, "it was likely" that Nairac had organised the attack. Touts aren't welcome here.". After meeting a new woman, Somerville settled on the Shankill and for a while he worked in the Harland and Wolff shipyard. [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. Her brothers Seamus and Michael also died in the attack, which was later claimed by the Protestant Action Force, a cover name for the Mid-Ulster UVF. [17][87], During the six years from the onset of "the Troubles" until the July 1975 attack, there had never been an incident involving any of the showbands. 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. I was given a sub-machine gun but I had never fired it. Miami 1975 - The Massacre In early 1975, bassist Steve Travers replaced Dave Monks. [22] He presently resides near Craigavon. [19], In 1994, Eric Smyth, a former UDR member and the husband of Brian McCoy's sister, Sheila, was killed by the IRA. Pinnwnde sind ideal zum Speichern von Bildern und Videoclips. They subsequently set up a roadblock with "all the trappings of a regular military checkpoint". The RUC were led to him through his glasses which had been found at the murder scene. Journalist Emily O'Reilly noted in the Sunday Tribune that none of the three men convicted of the massacre ever implicated Nairac in the attack or accused him of causing Boyle's death. But the Sunday World has also learned that on January 4 1976, Jackson was accompanied by John Somerville when he burst into the home of the O'Dowd family at Ballyduggan, near Gilford, shooting three of them dead. [4] The UVF had cut all ties with Somerville after he had opposed the 1994 ceasefire. This meant that both it and the UDA were legal organisations. It was his brother Wesley's arm," said the source. [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. [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. 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 He then drove to a lay-by on the Newry-Banbridge dual carriageway and met up with another five men, who were all wearing British Army uniforms. 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. And two years later when he was scooped in an RUC raid in Dungannon on September 26, 1980, he made a detailed confession outlining his involvement in numerous UVF murders. [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". The Mid-Ulster Battalion has been assisting the South Down-South Armagh units since the IRA Forkhill boobytrap which killed four British soldiers. The band's road manager, Brian Maguire, had already gone ahead a few minutes earlier in the equipment van. [70] Crozier, McDowell, and Somerville were released after 1998 under the terms of the Belfast Agreement. Twenty minutes before - in what was clearly a co-ordinated operation - another loyalist killer gang made up of police officers and UDR soldiers launched a murder attack on the Reavey family home in Whitecross. They sprung terror attacks in south Armagh, south Down, east Tyrone and even as far away as south Derry. Crime Scene Photos The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office released graphics images this week, taken in the aftermath of 27-year-old Christian Obumseli's death. Bei kommerzieller Verwendung sowie fr verkaufsfrdernde Zwecke kontaktieren Sie bitte Ihr. From left: Steve Travers, Tony Geraghty, Ray Millar, Brian McCoy, Fran O'Toole, Des Lee. Two serving UDR soldiers and one former UDR soldier were found guilty of the murders and received life sentences; they were released in 1998. Geraghty was engaged to be married. 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. The murder of singer Fran O'Toole . "John said the cops told him there was no need for him to go to prison. [44] None of the men ever named their accomplices, and the other UVF gunmen were never caught. But our investigations this week revealed that shortly before he died, Jackson sent for self-confessed loyalist gunrunner Willie Frazer, also now deceased. [62] However, police have blamed the IRA. [90] The encounter took place inside Hudson's church, All Souls Belfast. Organiseer, beheer, distribueer en meet al uw digitale content. Despite severe burns sustained in the Miami attack, a month later Jackson was soon back on a murder mission with his trusted fellow killer John Somerville. "Des Lee"), 24, Catholic, from Belfast; bassist Stephen Travers, 24, Catholic, from Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary; and drummer Ray Millar, Protestant, from Antrim. But by this time, he was ready to go to jail. It was . The patrol later recovered two Armalite rifles and a pistol. By 1975, they had gained a large following, playing to crowds of people in dance halls and ballrooms across the island. The six-strong group were one of the biggest acts on the Irish music scene throughout the 1960s and 1970s. 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. View On One Page Photo 22 of 51 ADVERTISEMENT () Start Slideshow . 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. [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". [98] In 2011, Journalist Kevin Myers denounced the attack with the following statement: "in its diabolical inventiveness against such a group of harmless and nave young men, it is easily one of the most depraved [of the Troubles]". However, Martin Dillon alleged that the bomb was meant to go off in the Irish Republic. [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. Krijg toegang tot het beste van Getty Images met ons eenvoudige abonnement. The other gunmen then started shooting the dazed band members, killing three and wounding two. [14], Jackson was an alleged RUC Special Branch agent who was said by Yorkshire Television's The Hidden Hand: The Forgotten Massacre programme to have had links to both the Intelligence Corps and Captain Robert Nairac. Two of the gunmen were attempting to plant a time bomb on the vehicle, when it prematurely exploded and killed them. [19] In early 1973, Billy MacDonald (a.k.a. [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. According to former Intelligence Corps agent Captain Fred Holroyd, the killings were organised by British intelligence officer Robert Nairac, together with the UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade and its commander Robin "the Jackal" Jackson. 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. 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. The Miami Showband reformed in 2008, with Stephen Travers, Des McAlea, and Ray Millar, plus new members. The scene of the Miami Showband Killings on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland, 31st July 1975. Aaron Carter 's mother believes he was the victim of a crime, not an overdose -- so, she's made the tough decision to let the . 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. 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. 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. In his flat - which few people visited - Somerville kept a large photograph of Robin Jackson on the wall of his living room. The Gruesome Death Scene Launch Gallery. Major Boyle ordered his patrol to apprehend the occupants for questioning. Somerville was sent to jail for 35 years and, despite being firmly opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, he was released under its terms after spending just 18 years behind bars. At the precise moment of the explosion, the patrol came under intense automatic fire from the occupants of the other vehicle. In 1978, he became a born-again Christian. Sometimes the showbands played traditional Irish music at their performances. Survivors Stephen Travers and Des McAlea were both present at the unveiling, as was the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, who made a tribute. I only came into it because of my UDR connection and the fact that I had a uniform. The Miami Showband (1962-1996 and 2008-present) Photo Gallery - Band Lineups - Discography - Audio samples - Where Are They Now? The Provisional IRA carried out the bombing of two pubs in the English city of Birmingham the following November, resulting in 21 deaths. Somerville said: "I'm not going to make excuses for my past. Everybody was respectful to Brian". Stroomlijn uw workflow met ons toonaangevende beheersysteem voor digitale bestanden. [37] They had hoped to embarrass the Government of Ireland, as well as to draw attention to its level of control of the border. Photograph: Independent News and Media/Getty Images But it went nowhere when a senior RUC officer advised the UVF leader to lie low for a while. [21][22], Their music was described as "contemporary and trans-Atlantic", with no reference to the Northern Ireland conflict. Three photos, which have been cropped slightly and published below, show the extent of the injuries to Rainey's chest, back, arms and legs. [58], Following the post-mortems, funerals were held for the three slain musicians; they received televised news coverage by RT, Ireland's public service broadcaster. [21][84], Former British soldier and writer Ken Wharton published in his book Wasted Years, Wasted Lives, Volume 1, an alternative theory that was suggested to him by loyalist paramilitarism researcher Jeanne Griffin; this was that the ambush was planned by Robin Jackson as an elaborate means of eliminating trumpet player Brian McCoy. Free shipping for many products! They had killed many Catholics together and they trusted each other implicitly," said our source. Martin Dillon suggested in The Dirty War that at least five serving UDR soldiers were present at the checkpoint. [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. Although not a member of any loyalist paramilitary group,[26] he was a close friend of Harris Boyle and the two were often seen together. [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. Five people were killed, including three members of The Miami Showband, who were then one of Ireland's most popular cabaret bands. While the Miami is synonymous, for many, with the atrocity, the musical tells the whole story of the band, Lynch says, from when it re-formed in 1967, and Fran O'Toole and Des Lee first joined . It was my own personal feelings and convictions at the time these things happened. The scene of the Miami Showband massacre Somerville would never. The explosion ripped through the building, killing 21-year-old married woman Marion Bowen, who was eight months pregnant at the time. UVF serial killer John Somerville told how detectives repeatedly tried to persuade him to become Special Branch tout and avoid jail, No remorse: Miami Showband killer John Somerville. The Officers and Agents of the Ulster Central Intelligence Agency commend the UVF on their actions and tender their deepest sympathy to the relatives of the two Officers who died while attempting to remove the bomb from the minibus. [5], UK Home Secretary Roy Jenkins introduced the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which gave the government unprecedented powers against the liberty of individuals in the United Kingdom in peacetime. [47] The UVF gunmen had worn green UDR berets, whereas the other man's had been lighter in colour. The UVF maintains regular border patrols due to the continued activity of the Provisional IRA. And despite being married with a family, he immersed himself in loyalist terrorism. 50 True-Crime Documentaries on Netflix | 2023 . [9] According to authors Paul Larkin and Martin Dillon, Jackson was accompanied by Harris Boyle when he killed Hanna. It took place on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland. Crozier had pleaded not guilty. It is fronted by McAlea, who returned to Northern Ireland the same year after living in South Africa since about 1982. 1.6K. [43], Ballistic evidence indicates that the 10-member gang took at least six guns with them on the attack. Multiple jurors also cried, covered their mouths and turned away as the graphic. 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. I passed out when the explosion happened and that was when I lost the gun, the glasses, and a UDR beret. 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. But along with his friend Jackson, he helped build the UVF in mid-Ulster. The night after the Miami Showband massacre, gunmen shot a minibus near Gilford. ;UVF killer Harris Boyle who died in the attack. [clarification needed] James McDowell lives in Lurgan, and John James Somerville became an evangelical minister in Belfast. Travers was not able to positively identify Nairac, from his photograph, as having been the man at Buskhill. The gunman turned him round, punched him hard in the back and pushed him on the shoulder back into the line-up. [63] The IRA has denied responsibility. Maguire recalled that the car first slowed down, then it accelerated, flashing its lights. Miami showband massacre Stock Photos and Images (9) See miami showband massacre stock video clips RF TTNAG4 - A plaque in Parnell Square, Dublin, Ireland to those who died in what became known as the Miami Showband Massacre in 1975 at Buskhill, Newry. [4][22] McAlea made his way up the embankment to the main road where he hitched a lift to alert the RUC at their barracks in Newry. [4][21], The jocular mood of the gunmen abruptly ceased. The dead bombers were named by the UVF, in a statement issued within 12 hours of the attack. 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. [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. [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], The killings shocked both Northern Ireland and Ireland and put a serious strain on Anglo-Irish relations. It comprised elements of the British security forces who, together with the UVF, carried out sectarian killings in the Mid-Ulster/County Armagh area. A report by the police's Historical Enquiries Team (HET) also suggests this. Its basic repertoire included cover versions of pop songs that were currently in the charts, and standard dance numbers. [8] The brigade was described by author Don Mullan as one of the most ruthless units operating in the 1970s. [72][73] Surviving band members Stephen Travers and Des McAlea told police and later testified in court that a British Army officer with a "crisp, clipped English accent" oversaw the attack, the implication being that this was Nairac. [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. [92], Travers also visited the home of Thomas Crozier, hoping to meet with him but the latter did not come to the door. The year 1975 was marked by an escalation in sectarian attacks and a vicious feud between the two main loyalist paramilitary groups, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). But as the death toll mounted, so did Somerville's drinking. [3] The UVF would be once more banned by the British government on 3 October 1975. [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]. "Robin Jackson and John Somerville had been very close friends since joining the Mid-Ulster UVF. A long battle for justice for three members of a popular Irish music group, Miami Showband, who were murdered during The Troubles in Northern Ireland received a huge boost this week with. [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. Originally called the Downbeats Quartet, the Miami Showband was reformed in 1962 by rock promoter Tom Doherty, who gave them their new name. At least four of the gunmen were soldiers from the British Army's Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), and all were members of the UVF. Asked whether he had anything valuable inside the case, Travers replied no. Director Stuart Sender Writers Jeff Zimbalist Michael Zimbalist Stars Stephen Travers Bertie Ahern According to RT, "Their families were in deep mourning and Ireland mourned with them". [34] Afterward, as Travers recovered in hospital, the other survivor Des McAlea gave the police a description of McDowell as the gunman with a moustache and wearing dark glasses who appeared to have been the leader of the patrol. 8 in the Irish charts. Before adjourning the Alex Murdaugh case today, Judge Clifford Newman warned against sharing graphic autopsy photos of Maggie and Paul's bodies that were accidentally shown during the trial.. 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. Forensic photography, or the practice of taking photos at the scene of a crime, has been around for over a century. How are things? But he quit when the Troubles erupted on the streets of Belfast and Derry in the autumn of 1969. 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. [100] He did, however, express his concern over the fact that nobody was ever charged with his attempted murder. The massacre dealt a blow to Northern Ireland's live music scene, which had brought young Catholics and Protestants together. Somerville would never have gone to prison if he'd agreed to work for the RUC. 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. The music ranged from rock and country and western to Dixieland jazz. No one coerced me. [17] Five Catholic civilians were shot; passenger Joseph Toland was killed outright and driver James Marks died of his wounds in January 1976. [20] He survived by pretending he was dead, as he lay beside the body of McCoy. [78], The band's road manager, Brian Maguire stated that when he drove away from Banbridge in the lead, a few minutes ahead of the band's minibus, he passed through security barriers manned by the RUC. He was also one of the prime suspects in the sectarian killing of Dorothy Traynor on 1 April 1975 in Portadown. Three UVF members are being treated for gunshot wounds after last night but not in hospital. This had meant the possible withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland. it is to say the least highly dubious, if not absurd to conclude from such superficial factors that Nairac was present at the Miami murders. . 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. Chris Hudson, a former intermediary between the government of Ireland and the UVF, whose role was crucial to the Northern Ireland peace process. One of the first famous crime scene photos was taken on May 5, 1903, in the home of a Parisian woman named Madame Debeinche who had been murdered.