Gerard Martin Maginn

Gerard Martin Maginn 17years, Springfield Road, west Belfast, shot dead in a stolen car in the Poleglass housing estate on 3 November 1991, by members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

Gerard was one of five sons. He attended Corpus Christi College at Turf Lodge, which he left when he was sixteen. At the time of his death Gerard was working as a youth leader in the YMCA.

On the evening of 2 November 1991, after Gerard Maginn left his home he met up with one of his friends. The friend was driving a stolen car and Gerard got into the vehicle. Sometime later the two teenagers were joined by another youth and the car was driven to Lisburn town, which lies a few miles outside Belfast. While the vehicle was driven through the town centre in the early hours of 3 November it was observed by an unmarked RUC armoured car, which followed it. When the youths spotted the RUC vehicle they made off at speed. The stolen car was driven towards Belfast, the pursuing RUC vehicle being joined by another unmarked RUC armoured car.

The youths drove to Poleglass, a large housing estate on the outskirts of west Belfast, and here the vehicle stalled. The pursuing RUC vehicles coming upon the stationery vehicle halted a short distance away. One RUC member then approached the car, as he did so the driver of the vehicle was frantically trying to restart it. The RUC member on reaching the vehicle banged on the driver’s window, and when the driver ignored him, he opened fire at point blank range into the car. At this point two other RUC members also fired on the car. In the midst of the gunfire the young driver was able to restart the vehicle and speed away from the scene.

A short time later Gerard Maginn was found dead on the back seat of the stolen car, which was abandoned on the Glen Road in west Belfast. He had been shot in the head.

The RUC Press Office issued a brief statement about the shooting, stating ‘the car was seen acting suspiciously in Lisburn and was followed out of town. A high speed chase developed and a number of shots were fired at the vehicle in Poleglass.’

Residents in the Poleglass estate said they heard about ten shots being fired around 4.10am. One resident added ‘there were no other sounds except the shooting.’ None of the residents reported hearing any police sirens previous to the shooting.

In the aftermath of the killing the RUC’s Chief Constable Hugh Annesley said he had appointed a detective Chief Superintendent to head an inquiry into the shooting.

An inquest into the killing of Gerard Maginn was held in June 1993. Only one of the four RUC members involved in the incident attended. The three RUC members who did not attend had all fired on the stolen car. Other RUC members read out their statements at the hearing.

The inquest heard that when the stolen car stalled in Poleglass the RUC vehicles pulled up to within fifteen feet of it. The RUC member who was responsible for shooting the youth said in his statement that as he approached the car he shouted a warning. After he shouted the warning he said the car’s engine began revving and he heard three shots. He said he returned fire at the rear door of the vehicle as it drove off.

One of two other RUC members who also fired at the car was questioned shortly after the shooting, and in his statement said that he was not certain he had heard any shots.

The youth who was driving the stolen vehicle told the hearing that when the car ‘conked out’ and he was bending down to restart it an RUC member hit the driver’s window with the butt of his gun and shouted a warning. The youth said the next thing he heard was banging, like something hitting the car and then gunfire. He restarted the car and drove off. The driver said he was shot on the elbow and shoulder. An RUC suggestion that the car may have backfired was rejected by the two surviving youths.

A forensic scientist told the hearing there was no evidence of shots being fired from the car, and of the thirteen shots fired by the three RUC members nine had hit the car.

Mrs Maginn speaking to Relatives for Justice about the evidence given by the RUC at inquest said ‘Gerry went from joy rider to ram-raider, and finally to luring the police into a terrorist ambush. The police said as they approached the car it backfired and fearing they were under attack opened fire. The jury found this to be so, only they could not make a finding on the police assertion that the car backfired.’

Mrs Maginn also said her son ‘acted totally out of character as he had never be involved with stolen cars and had no criminal record. We believe our son was murdered. If the police feared for their lives why did they feel safe enough to approach the car, attempt to smash the car window and grab the keys. Not the action of someone who thought his life was in danger?’

The Northern Ireland Department of Public Prosecutions in a statement issued sometime after the inquest said they decided after an investigation not to prosecute any of the RUC members involved in the killing. The RUC’s own internal inquiry, announced by the Chief Constable just after the shooting, also cleared all those involved of any wrong doing.


No members of the RUC were ever charged in connection with the killing of Gerard Maginn.