Irish republican sentenced to life for killing soldier

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Declan Duffy, a former INLA member, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a British army recruiter.

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Declan Duffy, a former leader of the Irish National Liberation Army, was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison for the 1992 murder of a British army recruiter.

The 36-year-old Duffy pleaded guilty to the murder of Sgt. Michael Newman in England’s Stafford Crown Court.

Duffy said last year that he decided to confess to the police about his involvement in the killing after he renounced his membership in the INLA.

"I would never have spoken to the police in the past, but my war is over and there are things I have to get off my chest," said Duffy.

"This man was a family man, and it is regrettable that he was killed. I would be happy to meet with any member of his family to explain to them the circumstances of why soldiers at that time were being targeted."

Three men were allegedly involved in the attack, which took place outside an army recruiting office in the city of Derby, in central England. Prosecutors don’t know whether it was Duffy or another suspect who fired the shot that killed Newman.

The driver in the attack, INLA member Joseph Magee, was jailed in 2004 but has since been released. Anthony Gorman, the other INLA member accused in the shooting, is fighting extradition from the Irish Republic.
 

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