Shankill Butchers

The Shankill Butchers were a group of loyalists in Northern Ireland who abducted Catholics, usually walking home from a night out, tortured and/or beat them, and killed them, usually by cutting the throat.

Table of contents 1 The Killing Begins 2 Capture 3 The Killing Ends 4 Aftermath 5 References

The Killing Begins

The leader of the Shankill Butchers was one Lenny Murphy. He possessed seething Anti-Catholicism, and was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force. He soon gathered together a gang, the core being: Murphy himself, Robert "Basher" Bates, and "Big" Sam McAllister, who used his huge frame to intimidate the Butcher's victims. In what is said to have been retaliation for the Bloody Friday bombings by the Provisional IRA, a Catholic man, Francis Arthurs, was abducted, and beaten and stabbed for over an hour before being killed. The murder of Tom Madden, is seen as one of the most terrible examples of the Butcher's brutality. Tom was abducted, and then stripped naked. He was hung upside down from the beam of a lock-up garage, and slowly skinned alive. He eventually died of slow strangulation. Francis Crossan, aged 34 and father of two, was walking home from a night out, when he was spotted by one of the gang. This was around 12-12:30am. He was hit from behind with a wheel brace, and dragged into the taxi, which drove into the Shankill area. Francis was then tortured and badly beaten. He was repeatedly hit by Murphy, both punched and with the wheel brace. Murphy repeatedly said things like, "I'm going to kill you, you bastard!" Francis was then dragged into an alley, and his throat cut almost through the spine by Murphy. Pieces of glass found in Francis' head showed that a beer glass had been shoved into his head, either in the black taxi, or in the alley.

Capture

More and more killings followed, until around 1979. One of the Butcher's victims was found barely alive, but still alive. He identified the Butchers, and they were all convicted of murder, except Murphy, who escaped on firearms charges. By 1982 he was out of prison, and he set about re-assembling his gang.

The Killing Ends

Murphy's gang was re-assembled around the time a UDR man was kidnapped. The IRA had kidnapped him and were demanding a ransom. He was Tommy Cochrane. Murphy decided to kidnap a Catholic and demand the release of Cochrane for the Catholic. Murphy hijacked a black taxi and headed to the Falls Road were 48 year old father-of-two Joseph Donegan waved them down. He was taken to Murphy's house, where he was tortured. He had his teeth pulled out with pliers by Murphy until only 3 were left. He was finally killed by Murphy. Murphy again demanded the release of Cochrane, with the public not knowing that Joseph Donegan was dead. Finally, his body was found in the back of Murphy's house. Murphy was arrested but there was no evidence to suggest that he had committed the crime, though police were certain it was him. Tommy Cochrane's body was found a week later, and showed signs of having been beaten. The IRA also knew that it was Murphy who had abducted and murdered Joseph Donegan. The manner of his death particulary angered them, and plans were taken to murder Murphy. Murphy was at his girlfriend's house, waiting outside, when a van pulled up beside him. The people in the van were from the IRA. They started firing and Murphy was killed. The IRA claimed responsability for the killing the next day.

Aftermath

The rest of the Shankill Butchers who were still in jail were soon released. Robert "Basher" Bates was killed by the son of one of the Butcher's victims who was mistakenly killed, with the Butchers believing he was a Catholic, when in fact he was a Protestant.

References

• The Shankill Butchers
• Resurection Man (based on the Shankill Butchers)