The sister of an IRA man shot dead by the SAS has said she is “overwhelmed” after a coroner ruled the use of lethal force was not justified.
Patrick Vincent (20) was one of four members of the terror group’s east Tyrone brigade who were killed in the grounds of a church at Clonoe on February 16 1992.
Kevin O’Donnell (21), Sean O’Farrell (22) and Peter Clancy (21) were also shot dead after attacking Coalisland RUC Station.
Soldiers opened fire as the gang dumped a lorry used in the machine-gun attack.
More than 500 rounds were fired without warning as the men arrived in the hijacked lorry with a heavy machine gun still welded to its tailgate.
The IRA admitted the four were on “active service” at the time of their deaths.
The scene of a shoot-out in Clonoe, near Coalisland, County Tyrone, where four IRA men were killed by the SAS.
An inquest into the case opened in 2023.
Delivering his findings this morning, presiding coroner Mr Justice Michael Humphreys, presiding as coroner, found that in each case, the use of lethal force was not justified.
Speaking afterwards, Patrick Vincent’s sister Marian said she was “completely overwhelmed” by the ruling.
“This has been a long, long, long process – the boys are dead 33 years next week,” she added.
“It has been the entirety of my life that this process has been ongoing. We are tired.
“It’s hard to say you’re delighted at a finding over your family member’s death.
“We’re overwhelmed and we’re delighted with the result, but we’re also very aware (it came) at a huge expense to us as families.”
The coroner found the men died as a result of gunshots fired by members of a Specialist Military Unit, a unit within the Army.
He said the soldiers did not have an honest belief that it was necessary to prevent loss of life, and the use of force by the soldiers was not reasonable.
The coroner also found that the operation was not planned and controlled to minimise the need for lethal force.
He also rejected the soldiers’ claims that the IRA members opened fire in the car park, saying they were “demonstrably untrue”.
“It has the entirety of my life that this process has been ongoing” – Sister of Patrick Vincent
Marian, who was four when her brother died, added: “We knew (the untrue claims) but for it to be confirmed in the court is huge – it’s so monumental.
“It makes a big difference to how we feel about it.
“It means that there is dignity given back to them as human beings, as siblings, as sons.
“And for us it has gone a long way to helping us heal.”
Solicitor Niall Murphy said: “Anyone who sat through those months of hearings, the inescapable conclusion – the only conclusion – is the verdict which the judge has found today.
“It is an unambiguous finding that all four of the deceased were unlawfully killed.
“Whereas truth has been excavated and published today, justice has not.
“And we’re going to carefully consider this verdict with regards to any prospect of prosecutions.”
All four men who died were from the east Tyrone area.
The inquest found O’Donnell died as a result of gunshot wounds to the head and chest.
Vincent died as a result of gunshot wounds to the head.
Clancy died as a result of a gunshot wounds to the head and trunk.
O’Farrell died as a result of gunshot wounds to the head and trunk.
In his findings, Mr Justice Humphreys rejected the soldiers’ claims that the IRA members opened fire in the car park, saying they were “demonstrably untrue”.
He said that reports created by the police force in the aftermath, including those provided to government ministers, referred to simultaneous firing and a firefight.
He said these statements were “demonstrably untrue and must have been known to be untrue”.
“The reasons for putting forward such false justifications for the actions of the soldiers are obvious,” he added.
“This, coupled with any lack of proper challenge of their accounts by the RUC investigators ensured there would be no actual accountability.”
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News Catch Up – Wednesday 5 February