Refusing Gerry Adams a payout for quashed convictions was unlawful, court rules

The Department of Justice has been ordered to reconsider the former Sinn Fein leader’s application for compensation.

Gerry Adams was interned without trial in 1973 at Long Kesh (Liam McBurney/PA) (PA Wire)

Former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams was wrongly denied compensation after his convictions for attempted prison breaks were quashed, a court has ruled.

Mr Adams won a Supreme Court appeal in 2020 over historical convictions for two attempts to escape the Long Kesh internment camp in Northern Ireland in the 1970s.

However, he was subsequently denied a payout for the wrongful convictions when he applied for compensation from Stormont’s Department of Justice.