Ken Kerr
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Jason Kerr, known as "Ken", is a Northern Irish
loyalist
activist. He was a leading figure within the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) and its political wing, the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party. He was also central to a series of allegations regarding collusion
between the British
security forces and loyalist paramilitaries.
before joining the UDA. He served as Brigadier of the UDA in Londonderry and North Antrim and as such was a member of the movement's Inner Council. Like South Belfast brigadier John McMichael
, Kerr also became involved in the UDA's political arm the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party and following the killing of McMichael in 1987 Kerr served for a time as chairman of the party. This role was soon filled on a more permanent basis by Ray Smallwoods
. Kerr's reign had never been likely to last long as the brigade he commanded was one of the UDA's weakest and he was not personally popular within the movement.
, representing the loyalist Waterside
area. He lost the seat at the 1993 election. Kerr's win was however something of aberration as the success of the Ulster Democratic Party
(UDP), as they became known in 1989, was otherwise limited to Belfast
and its satellite towns of Lisburn
and Newtownabbey
.
In early 1992 Kerr was attacked by the Provisional IRA (PIRA) although he escaped serious injury. In response Kerr accused local Democratic Unionist Party
(DUP) activist David Nicholl of conspiring with the republicans to have him killed after Nicholl had published information linking the UDP to the UDA. The link between the two groups would later be publicly acknowledged by the UDP. Later that same year Kerr was profiled in an episode of the ITV
current affairs programme This Week
. During the programme Kerr stated that he was no longer a member of the UDA but remained a loyalist before denouncing the PIRA as the "scum of the earth" and calling on the British government seek them out and destroy them.
In 1993 Kerr travelled with UDP chairman Ray Smallwoods
to South Africa
where they held a meeting with representatives of the Inkatha Freedom Party
. Kerr was close to Smallwoods and when the latter was murdered in 1994 Kerr reacted angrily, stating "if I called for no retaliation, as sure as night turns to day, there is sombody who is going to retaliate and no matter what I say nothing will change that".
. He was on their candidate list for the 1996 elections to the Northern Ireland Forum
, and also stood in Foyle
, but he was not elected to the body (nor indeed were any members of the party).
and Billy Wright
and their underlings in the UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade
were ordered by the Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee
, a group he says was made up of a number of leading figures from Northern Irish society and public life. Kerr was, according to McPhilemy, a self declared member of this body although McPhilemy would later dismiss much of what Kerr said about his time on the Committee as lies.
Kerr and McPhilemy met in April 1996 at the Waterfoot Hotel in Kerr's native Derry
, where Kerr admitted his membership of the Committee, although a follow-up meeting was abandoned after Kerr stated that a Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) spy was present in the bar. Kerr and his wife then spent a weekend with McPhilemy in Maidstone
in August 1996. Kerr told McPhilemy that he had been a paid informer for ritish Military Intelligence for a number of years and that they had supplied a number of the names to be killed, with Kerr presenting them to the Committee at the behest of his paymasters. Kerr named fifteen Catholics murdered between 1989 and 1991, all of whom he claimed had been killed on the Committee's orders. He also gave the names of around thirty supposed Committtee members, all unknown to McPhilemy, and including twelve senior RUC officers. Kerr initially suggested that he was volunteering the information as he wanted out of his role as an informant but at a later date claimed to be dying of colon cancer and wanted to unburden himself before death.
In May 1997 Tim Laxton, acting on behalf of McPhilemy, paid Kerr £5000 for a cassette tape that the UDA Brigadier claimed contained a recording of a meeting of the Committee in 1989. The tape, which was of poor quality and supposedly a code (a translation of which Kerr provided), was said by Kerr to contain the voices of RUC Assistant Chief Constable Trevor Forbes, Chief Inspector Ezzard Boyd and two unnamed businessmen discussing plans to murder Pat Finucane
. Uncertain of the veracity of the tape, McPhilemy began to doubt it when he realised that the name and nickname given by Kerr for one of the businessmen were the same as those of a Northern Ireland footballer
whilst after watching videos of Forbes speaking he realised that his voice resembled none of those on the tape. It subsequently came to light that Ezzard Boyd had in fact been a loyalist who served a prison sentence in the late 1980s rather than a leading RUC officer and as such McPhilemy discarded the tape as a clear hoax. McPhilemy would eventually claim that the tape had been a deliberate attempt to wreck the credibility of his book as, had he included it as genuine evidence, Kerr would have brought out the real, uniquely named, Ezzard Boyd and thus made the claims in the book look like an entire fraud. McPhilemy also rejected Kerr's claims to be a British agent and concluded that he in fact been "the brains behind the paramilitary side of the Committee's assassination campaign".
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
activist. He was a leading figure within the Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
(UDA) and its political wing, the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party. He was also central to a series of allegations regarding collusion
Collusion
Collusion is an agreement between two or more persons, sometimes illegal and therefore secretive, to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically by defrauding or gaining an unfair advantage...
between the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
security forces and loyalist paramilitaries.
Ulster Defence Association
In his youth Kerr served in the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
before joining the UDA. He served as Brigadier of the UDA in Londonderry and North Antrim and as such was a member of the movement's Inner Council. Like South Belfast brigadier John McMichael
John McMichael
John "Big John" McMichael was a leading Northern Irish loyalist who rose to become the most prominent figure within the Ulster Defence Association as the Deputy Commander and leader of its South Belfast Brigade. He was also commander of the organisation's cover name, the "Ulster Freedom Fighters"...
, Kerr also became involved in the UDA's political arm the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party and following the killing of McMichael in 1987 Kerr served for a time as chairman of the party. This role was soon filled on a more permanent basis by Ray Smallwoods
Ray Smallwoods
Raymond "Ray" Smallwoods was a Northern Ireland politician and sometime leader of the Ulster Democratic Party. A leading member of John McMichael's south Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association , Smallwoods later served as a leading adviser to the UDA's Inner Council...
. Kerr's reign had never been likely to last long as the brigade he commanded was one of the UDA's weakest and he was not personally popular within the movement.
Ulster Democratic Party
In 1989 the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party contested the local elections and, despite a very low key campaign, Kerr was elected as their sole representative in Northern Ireland. He was elected to Derry City CouncilDerry City Council
Derry City Council is a district council in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. The Council is is responsible for the city of Derry and the immediate environ, providing services to an estimated population of , making it the third largest district council in Northern Ireland by population.The...
, representing the loyalist Waterside
Waterside, Derry
The Waterside is an urban neighbourhood on the east side of the River Foyle opposite the Cityside of Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Traditionally, the Waterside ends at the Caw roundabout near the Foyle Bridge...
area. He lost the seat at the 1993 election. Kerr's win was however something of aberration as the success of the Ulster Democratic Party
Ulster Democratic Party
The Ulster Democratic Party was a small loyalist political party in Northern Ireland. It was established in June 1981 as the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party by the Ulster Defence Association to replace their New Ulster Political Research Group...
(UDP), as they became known in 1989, was otherwise limited to Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and its satellite towns of Lisburn
Lisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
and Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey
Newtownabbey is a large town north of Belfast in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Sometimes considered to be a suburb of Belfast, it is separated from the rest of the city by Cavehill and Fortwilliam golf course...
.
In early 1992 Kerr was attacked by the Provisional IRA (PIRA) although he escaped serious injury. In response Kerr accused local Democratic Unionist Party
Democratic Unionist Party
The Democratic Unionist Party is the larger of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland. Founded by Ian Paisley and currently led by Peter Robinson, it is currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the...
(DUP) activist David Nicholl of conspiring with the republicans to have him killed after Nicholl had published information linking the UDP to the UDA. The link between the two groups would later be publicly acknowledged by the UDP. Later that same year Kerr was profiled in an episode of the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
current affairs programme This Week
This Week (ITV TV series)
This Week was a weekly current affairs series first produced for ITV in January 1956 by Associated-Rediffusion , running until 1978, when it was replaced by TV Eye...
. During the programme Kerr stated that he was no longer a member of the UDA but remained a loyalist before denouncing the PIRA as the "scum of the earth" and calling on the British government seek them out and destroy them.
In 1993 Kerr travelled with UDP chairman Ray Smallwoods
Ray Smallwoods
Raymond "Ray" Smallwoods was a Northern Ireland politician and sometime leader of the Ulster Democratic Party. A leading member of John McMichael's south Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association , Smallwoods later served as a leading adviser to the UDA's Inner Council...
to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
where they held a meeting with representatives of the Inkatha Freedom Party
Inkatha Freedom Party
The Inkatha Freedom Party is a political party in South Africa. Since its founding, it has been led by Mangosuthu Buthelezi. It is currently the fourth largest party in the National Assembly of South Africa.-History:...
. Kerr was close to Smallwoods and when the latter was murdered in 1994 Kerr reacted angrily, stating "if I called for no retaliation, as sure as night turns to day, there is sombody who is going to retaliate and no matter what I say nothing will change that".
Ulster Independence Movement
Kerr subsequently left the UDP and joined the Ulster nationalist Ulster Independence MovementUlster Independence Movement
The Ulster Independence Movement was an Ulster nationalist political party founded on 17 November 1988. The group emerged from the Ulster Clubs, after a series of 15 public meetings across Northern Ireland...
. He was on their candidate list for the 1996 elections to the Northern Ireland Forum
Northern Ireland Forum
The Northern Ireland Forum was a body set up in 1996 as part of a process of negotiations that eventually led to the Belfast Agreement in 1998....
, and also stood in Foyle
Foyle (Assembly constituency)
Foyle is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.The seat was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election for the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996. Since 1998, it has elected members to the current Assembly....
, but he was not elected to the body (nor indeed were any members of the party).
The Committee
According to Sean McPhilemy a series of loyalist killings carried out largely by Ulster Volunteer Force members Robin JacksonRobin Jackson
Robert John "Robin" Jackson, known as the Jackal was a Northern Irish loyalist who held the rank of brigadier in the Ulster Volunteer Force during the period of violent religious and political conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles.From his home in the small village of Donaghcloney,...
and Billy Wright
Billy Wright (loyalist)
William Stephen "Billy" Wright was a prominent Ulster loyalist during the period of violent religious/political conflict known as "The Troubles". He joined the Ulster Volunteer Force in 1975 and became commander of its Mid-Ulster Brigade in the early 1990s...
and their underlings in the UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade
UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade
UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade formed part of the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force in Northern Ireland. The brigade was established in Lurgan, County Armagh in 1972 by its first commander Billy Hanna. The unit operated mainly around the Lurgan and Portadown areas. Subsequent leaders of the...
were ordered by the Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee
Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee
The Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee was set up in 1974 in the aftermath of the Ulster Workers Council Strike, in order to facilitate meetings and policy co-ordination between the Ulster Workers Council, the loyalist paramilitaries and the political representatives of...
, a group he says was made up of a number of leading figures from Northern Irish society and public life. Kerr was, according to McPhilemy, a self declared member of this body although McPhilemy would later dismiss much of what Kerr said about his time on the Committee as lies.
Kerr and McPhilemy met in April 1996 at the Waterfoot Hotel in Kerr's native Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, where Kerr admitted his membership of the Committee, although a follow-up meeting was abandoned after Kerr stated that a Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
(RUC) spy was present in the bar. Kerr and his wife then spent a weekend with McPhilemy in Maidstone
Maidstone
Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river was a source and route for much of the town's trade. Maidstone was the centre of the agricultural...
in August 1996. Kerr told McPhilemy that he had been a paid informer for ritish Military Intelligence for a number of years and that they had supplied a number of the names to be killed, with Kerr presenting them to the Committee at the behest of his paymasters. Kerr named fifteen Catholics murdered between 1989 and 1991, all of whom he claimed had been killed on the Committee's orders. He also gave the names of around thirty supposed Committtee members, all unknown to McPhilemy, and including twelve senior RUC officers. Kerr initially suggested that he was volunteering the information as he wanted out of his role as an informant but at a later date claimed to be dying of colon cancer and wanted to unburden himself before death.
In May 1997 Tim Laxton, acting on behalf of McPhilemy, paid Kerr £5000 for a cassette tape that the UDA Brigadier claimed contained a recording of a meeting of the Committee in 1989. The tape, which was of poor quality and supposedly a code (a translation of which Kerr provided), was said by Kerr to contain the voices of RUC Assistant Chief Constable Trevor Forbes, Chief Inspector Ezzard Boyd and two unnamed businessmen discussing plans to murder Pat Finucane
Pat Finucane (solicitor)
Patrick Finucane was a Catholic Belfast solicitor killed by loyalist paramilitaries on 12 February 1989. His killing was one of the most controversial during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Finucane came to prominence due to successfully challenging the British Government over several important...
. Uncertain of the veracity of the tape, McPhilemy began to doubt it when he realised that the name and nickname given by Kerr for one of the businessmen were the same as those of a Northern Ireland footballer
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
whilst after watching videos of Forbes speaking he realised that his voice resembled none of those on the tape. It subsequently came to light that Ezzard Boyd had in fact been a loyalist who served a prison sentence in the late 1980s rather than a leading RUC officer and as such McPhilemy discarded the tape as a clear hoax. McPhilemy would eventually claim that the tape had been a deliberate attempt to wreck the credibility of his book as, had he included it as genuine evidence, Kerr would have brought out the real, uniquely named, Ezzard Boyd and thus made the claims in the book look like an entire fraud. McPhilemy also rejected Kerr's claims to be a British agent and concluded that he in fact been "the brains behind the paramilitary side of the Committee's assassination campaign".