The Shankill Butchers: The Real Story of Cold-Blooded Mass Murder

380 Pages·1999·61.362 MB·English

by  Martin Dillon

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THE SHANKILL BUTCHERS
Martin Dillon is a native ofBelfast aldiough edu-
catedinEngland. He livedinFrance foratime and
returnedtoNorthern Irelandtoworkas ajournalist
with the Irish News before joining the Belfast Tele-
graph. He has also worked as a freelance journalist
for several national newspapers and American per-
iodicals. In 1973 hewrotePoliticalMurderinNorth-
em Ireland (with Denis Lehane) which is regarded
as the definitive study of political assassination in
Northern Ireland. His second book, Rogue Warrior
ofthe SAS (with Roy Bradford), is a biography of
the Second World War hero, Lt. Col. Robert Blair
Mayne, and is published by Arrow.
Martin Dillon has written plays for BBC radio
and television and has been Editor in Northern
Ireland ofmany ofthe BBC's programmes in the
area ofcurrent affairs. The ShankillButchers is the
firstin a trilogy ofbooks about Northern and Sou-
thern Ireland.
Also inArrow byMartin Dillon
Rogue Warrior ofthe SAS (with Roy Bradford)
THE
Shankill Butchers
A Case Study of Mass Murder
Martin Dillon
ARROW BOOKS
ArrowBooksLimited
20VauxhaUBridgeRoad,LondonSWlV2SA
AnimprintoftheRandomCenturyGroup
LondonMelbourneSydneyAuckland
Johannesburgandagenciesthroughouttheworld
FirstpublishedinGreatBritainbyHutchinson1989
' Arrowedition1990
Reprinted 1990and 1991
©
MartinDUlon1989
The rightofMartin Dillon tobe identified asthe author
ofthisworkhasbeenassertedbyhiminaccordancewith
theCopyri^t,DesignsandPatentsAct,1988
Thisbookissoldsubjecttotheconditionthatitshallnot,
bywayoftradeorotherwise,belent,resold,hiredout,or
otherwise circulatedwithoutthepublisher'spriorconsent
in anyform ofbindingorcover otherthanthatinwhich
it is published and without a similar condition including
thisconditionbeingimposedonthesubsequentpurchaser
PrintedandboundinGreatBritainby
Cox&WymanLtd,Reading,Berks
PhototypesetbyInputTypesettingLtd,London
ISBN 099738104
To all victims ofviolence
in Northern Ireland

Contents
List ofillustrations ix
Acknowledgements xi
Foreword by Dr Conor Cruise O'Brien xiii
Introduction xvi
1 The Making ofa Killer 1
2 A Killer is Blooded 16
3 A Killer Squad is Formed 44
4 The Butchery Begins 61
5 Charlie Division 70
6 A Public Execution 90
7 Murder Most Foul 114
8 The First Mistake 137
9 Murder Deal 151
10 Orders From Prison 171
11 A Natural Successor 190
12 The Bombing Mission 221
13 The Ultimate Witness 233
14 The Public Avenger? 274
15 *Mr X; is Back 287
Conclusion 326
Index 335
Murder is negative creation.
Every murderer is the rebel
who claims die right to be omnipotent.
His pathos is his refusal to suffer.
W. H. Auden, The Dyer's Hand'