Former Louth TD says BBC response to complaint over informer story ‘insulting’

Mr Adams told the court on Thursday that the BBC had “doubled down” on its story after he had challenged it in 2016.

He claims a BBC Spotlight programme, and an accompanying online story, defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of the former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson.

Mr Donaldson, who had worked for Sinn Fein, was shot dead in Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent for 20 years.

Mr Adams denies any involvement.

In 2009, the Real IRA admitted killing Mr Donaldson.

The Spotlight programme was broadcast in September 2016.

Mr Adams entered the witness box for a third day where he faced further questioning from his counsel, Declan Doyle SC.

Mr Doyle began by reading several letters from Mr Adams’ and the BBC’s legal teams which had been issued in the months after the Spotlight programme was broadcast and before legal action was launched.

In the letters he said that the BBC had denied that the “meaning” of their programme was that Mr Adams had sanctioned the murder of Mr Donaldson.

But the letters from Mr Adams’ lawyers insisted “the sting of the broadcast” was the allegation he had given the green light for the murder.

Asked if he had been satisfied with the response from the BBC after his lawyers had raised complaint, Mr Adams told the court “patently not”.

He said: “The BBC doubled down on the allegation.”

Mr Adams pointed out that an article remained on the BBC website with the headline “Gerry Adams ‘sanctioned Denis Donaldson killing'”.

The former Sinn Fein president said there had been “all manner of tittle-tattle and gossip” in the months after the Spotlight programme.

He told the court he had instructed his solicitors to resolve the matter.

Mr Doyle said there were three main points in the BBC legal correspondence to Mr Adams – that the programme did not carry the meaning that he had sanctioned the murder of Mr Donaldson, that it was responsible journalism and that it had complied with BBC editorial guidelines.

Mr Adams said: “The headline on the website was very clear.”

The barrister asked him what he felt about the BBC response to his complaint.

He said: “Absolutely insulting, absolutely arrogant, this is a public broadcaster.

“The public pay for all of this.”

Mr Adams added: “They just dismissed it (the complaint), it was offensive, it was insulting.”

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Mr Adams was then asked to read a statement he had released on the day of the murder of Mr Donaldson in 2006 when he condemned the killing.

The judge then told the jury that some legal issues would be dealt with before the BBC barristers begin their cross-examination of Mr Adams.

The case is expected to last for four weeks.

Mr Adams, 76, stepped down as Sinn Fein president in 2018 after 34 years at the helm.

He served as an MP for west Belfast and represented Louth in the Dail for nine years until the 2020 general election, when he retired from politics.