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Adams 'insulted' by BBC response to his complaint over murder allegations

Julian O'Neill
BBC News NI crime and justice correspondent
PA Media Gerry Adams walks outside the High Court in Dublin. He has short white hair and beard. He is wearing small, orange circular glasses and his expression is neutral. He is also wearing a navy suit jacket, a light blue collared shirt and a red patterned tie. On his suit jacket lapel he is wearing a silver fáinne, denoting his Irish speaking ability.PA Media
Gerry Adams, pictured on Thursday, is giving evidence for the third day of his libel case against the BBC

The former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has said he was insulted by the BBC's response to his complaint about a Spotlight programme dealing with the murder of informer Denis Donaldson.

Mr Adams is suing the BBC for damages at the High Court in Dublin.

The programme, and an accompanying online article, alleged he sanctioned the murder of Mr Donaldson in 2006, an allegation Mr Adams denies.

The 76-year-old has been giving more witness evidence on the third day of a case which is expected to last four weeks.

Remedies rejected by BBC

On Thursday, his lawyers read out correspondence between his solicitors and the BBC after its story in 2016.

Mr Adams' solicitors wrote seeking an apology and compensation.

They stated the allegation was spurious and not supported by An Garda Síochána (Irish police).

It accused the BBC of being motivated by malice and sensationalising its broadcast with a "gratuitous" reference to Mr Adams to boost ratings.

The BBC's lawyers rejected the remedies sought by Mr Adams.

The corporation said it was satisfied the programme was the product of responsible journalism which followed its editorial guidelines.

PA Media Adam Smyth wears a dark suit, a blue checkered collared shirt, a navy tie and black sunglasses. He has short greying hair and has a beard. His expression is neutral. Behind him are two people, but they are blurred.PA Media
Adam Smyth, Director of BBC Northern Ireland, pictured outside the High Court in Dublin on Thursday, is attending the hearings

Mr Adams was asked by his barrister for views on the BBC's response.

He replied: "Absolutely insulting. Absolutely arrogant.

"The BBC doubled down on the allegations."

He claimed it had "dismissed" efforts to resolve the issue , adding: "That is what has us all here today."

Mr Adams then read out a press statement he had issued immediately after Mr Donaldson's murder.

It stated he condemned the murder "without reservation" and that it was carried out by people opposed to the peace process.

The Real IRA admitted the murder in 2009.

During pre-trial hearings, the BBC argued the broadcast and publication were put out in good faith and concerned a matter of public interest.

It stated the reports constituted responsible journalism as a result of careful investigation.

The case continues.

Who is Gerry Adams?

Mr Adams was the former president of republican party Sinn Féin from 1983 until 2018.

He served as MP in his native west Belfast from 1997 until 2011 before sitting as a TD (Teachta Dála) in the Dáil (Irish parliament) between 2011 and 2020.

Mr Adams led the Sinn Féin delegation during peace talks that eventually brought an end to the Troubles after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

He was detained in the early 1970s when the government in Northern Ireland introduced internment without trial for those suspected of paramilitary involvement.

Mr Adams has consistently denied being a member of the IRA.

Who was Denis Donaldson?

PA Media Martin McGuinness, Denis Donaldson and Gerry Adams are all looking to their right. All three are wearing glasses. Mr McGuinness and Mr Adams are both wearing dark suits, shirts and ties. Mr Donaldson is wearing a tanned coloured jacket and a denim shirt. There are three microphones in front of them.PA Media
Denis Donaldson was a key figure in Sinn Féin and worked closely with former leaders Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams

Mr Donaldson was once a key figure in Sinn Féin's rise as a political force in Northern Ireland but he was found brutally murdered in 2006 after it emerged he had been a spy.

He was interned without trial for periods in the 1970s.

After the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, Sinn Féin appointed Mr Donaldson as their key administrator in the party's Stormont offices.

In 2005 Mr Donaldson confessed that he was a spy for British intelligence for two decades, before disappearing from Belfast.

He was found dead in a small, run down cottage in Glenties, County Donegal.