Hugh Aodh Doherty | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1950 (age 74–75) Gorbals District, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Known for | Balcombe Street Siege |
| Criminal status | Released under terms of theGood Friday Agreement[1] |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Pat Doherty (brother) |
| Criminal charge | 11 x Murder + 7 charges |
| Penalty | 11 terms oflife imprisonment (30 years judicial recommendation)[1] |
| Details | |
| Date | 6 to 12 December 1975 |
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
| State | London |
| Locations | |
Hugh Aodh Doherty is a Scottish-bornIrish republican. A formervolunteer in theProvisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), he is known for his role in theBalcombe Street Siege in London in December 1975.[1]
Doherty is known for his role in theBalcombe Street Siege of December 1975, at the resolution of which he was sentenced to eleven terms oflife imprisonment for offences including murder, with a judicial recommendation he serve at least 30 years.[2][3][4]
Doherty and fellow members of hisactive service unit had targeted tourist attractions, soldiers, police officers, politicians and other establishment figures as part of the IRA's armed campaign against Northern Ireland being a part of theUnited Kingdom.[5][6]
TheBalcombe Street gang, who were named after the London street on which they were arrested after a six-day siege that was broadcast live on television and watched by millions, were responsible for a 14-month campaign of bombings and shootings across the south-east of England.[7]
Doherty is also known for the murder, together with Harry Duggan, onRoss McWhirter on 27 November 1975 at 6:45 p.m. Ross McWhirter (12 August 1925 – 27 November 1975) was, with his twin brother,Norris McWhirter, the cofounder of the 1955Guinness Book of Records (known since 2000 as Guinness World Records) and a contributor to the television programmeRecord Breakers.
At his trial at theOld Bailey in 1977, Doherty received elevenlife sentences and seven other sentences ranging from eighteen to twenty-one years' imprisonment.[8] In 1987,Jeremy Corbyn handed a petition to then-prime ministerMargaret Thatcher which demanded better visiting conditions for Doherty and his fellow IRA prisoner Nat Vella, along with "the immediate transfer of Irish political prisoners to prisons near their homes".[7] In May 1998, he was transferred from England toPortlaoise Prison inCounty Laois inIreland.[9]
Following his transfer, Doherty made an appearance at the 1998Sinn FéinArd Fheis at which the party accepted theGood Friday Agreement. Under these terms, Doherty was released from prison, on 9 April 1999.[2][1]
Doherty was born in the Gorbals Region inGlasgow, Scotland in 1950,[10] He has been painting since 1982. He started with landscapes and seascapes and now works as a professional artist in Ireland.[11] He is the brother of Sinn FéinMP andMLAPat Doherty.[12]