Former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has been awarded €100,000 in damages after successfully suing the BBC for defamation.
The High Court in Dublin ruled that the broadcaster did not act in good faith or fairly in its reporting of a claim that Adams authorised the murder of an MI5 informant in 2006.
The jury concluded that the BBC’s Spotlight documentary and accompanying online article conveyed the meaning that Adams had sanctioned the killing of Denis Donaldson, a former Sinn Féin official exposed as a long-term police and MI5 informant. Donaldson was shot dead in County Donegal just months after his identity was revealed.
The case centred on a 2016 documentary which featured an anonymous source known as “Martin”, who alleged that Adams had approved Donaldson’s murder. Adams’s legal team described the programme as a reckless and damaging attack, accusing the BBC of engaging in a deliberate smear campaign.
The four-week trial delved into Adams’s political background, his denial of ever being an IRA member, and his significant role in the Northern Ireland peace process. Adams, 76, gave extensive testimony, describing the BBC’s actions as a breach of journalistic integrity and an affront to progress in post-conflict Ireland.
Adams told reporters outside court that he took legal action to hold the BBC accountable, saying it had failed to reflect the political reality shaped by the Good Friday Agreement. He criticised the broadcaster for promoting outdated narratives about Northern Ireland and claimed its reporting was out of step with the current peace-building efforts.
His solicitor, Paul Tweed, welcomed the verdict, saying the defamatory claim had been used to sensationalise the programme and had remained online for nearly nine years, damaging Adams’s reputation.
The BBC defended the broadcast, insisting it had acted responsibly and that the allegations were clearly presented as such. It argued the report was supported by multiple sources, including from within the security services. The broadcaster also contended that Adams’s past public profile as a suspected IRA figure reduced the extent of any reputational damage.
Jennifer O’Leary, the journalist behind the documentary, and other media experts provided evidence during the trial, which legal observers estimate could result in overall costs running into several million euros.
Before jury deliberations, Mr Justice Alexander Owens clarified that the court was not tasked with determining whether Adams had indeed sanctioned Donaldson’s murder. Instead, the jury had to assess whether the BBC’s content implied this as fact and whether its reporting met the standards of responsible journalism.
The jury found that the BBC had conveyed the claim as fact and failed to prove it was a fair and responsible publication. Consequently, Adams was awarded substantial damages, reflecting his standing at the time of publication.
He was a sitting TD (member of the Dáil) for Louth and remained a prominent political figure, stepping down as Sinn Féin president in 2018 after 35 years at the helm.
Reacting to the verdict, BBC Northern Ireland director Adam Smyth expressed disappointment. He maintained the programme was produced with due diligence and strong public interest.
He affirmed the BBC’s commitment to defending its journalism and acknowledged the complexities of reporting on Northern Ireland’s troubled past.
