Nick Spanos and Stephen Melrose
Encyclopedia
Nick Spanos and Stephen Melrose were Australian tourists killed by the IRA
on 27 May 1990.
who relocated to London
, Spanos was a twenty-eight year old Australian traveling with twenty-four year old Stephen Melrose, (originally from Brisbane
), and their partners on a four-day holiday to see a Van Gogh exhibition. Spanos and Melrose were commercial lawyers. In the town of Roermond
, Holland, while Stephen Melrose was taking a picture in the town square, people wearing balaclavas ran towards the group and opened fire. The two men were targeted and killed, although their partners were uninjured.
, who believed Spanos and Melrose were off-duty British
soldier
s. The IRA issued a statement saying they "regretted" the killings. The Australian Prime Minister
, Bob Hawke
, described the statement as "twisted, too late and meaningless."
Paul Hughes (born Newry
, 1958), Donna McGuire (born Newry
, 1963), Sean Hick (born Glenagary, County Dublin
, 1956), and Gerard Harte (born Lurgan
, 1956) were arrested in Belgium
in June 1990, and were later charged with the killings. Harte was convicted but his conviction was overturned. The other three, while acquitted, faced other charges in West Germany
, accused of the murder of Major Michael J. Dillon-Lee. Though acquitted, the trial judge stated that he believed they were indeed members of the IRA.
Evidence linked Desmond Grew, an IRA member later killed by the SAS
, to the group.
McGuire was eventually convicted over a failed bombing attempt.
, but were refused a meeting by both Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness
and Sinn Fein
President, Gerry Adams
.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Mr. Melrose's sister, Helen Jackson, said that the refusals of McGuinness and Adams "spoke volumes." She went on to say that:
Eighty-year old Roy Melrose stated:
Before travelling to Northern Ireland the family visited the murder scene in Holland for the first time.
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
on 27 May 1990.
Overview
A native of SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
who relocated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Spanos was a twenty-eight year old Australian traveling with twenty-four year old Stephen Melrose, (originally from Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
), and their partners on a four-day holiday to see a Van Gogh exhibition. Spanos and Melrose were commercial lawyers. In the town of Roermond
Roermond
Roermond is a city, a municipality, and a diocese in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights in 1231...
, Holland, while Stephen Melrose was taking a picture in the town square, people wearing balaclavas ran towards the group and opened fire. The two men were targeted and killed, although their partners were uninjured.
Aftermath
The killings were claimed by the IRAIrish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
, who believed Spanos and Melrose were off-duty British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s. The IRA issued a statement saying they "regretted" the killings. The Australian Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
, described the statement as "twisted, too late and meaningless."
Paul Hughes (born Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, 1958), Donna McGuire (born Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, 1963), Sean Hick (born Glenagary, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, 1956), and Gerard Harte (born Lurgan
Lurgan
Lurgan is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town is near the southern shore of Lough Neagh and in the north-eastern corner of the county. Part of the Craigavon Borough Council area, Lurgan is about 18 miles south-west of Belfast and is linked to the city by both the M1 motorway...
, 1956) were arrested in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in June 1990, and were later charged with the killings. Harte was convicted but his conviction was overturned. The other three, while acquitted, faced other charges in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, accused of the murder of Major Michael J. Dillon-Lee. Though acquitted, the trial judge stated that he believed they were indeed members of the IRA.
Evidence linked Desmond Grew, an IRA member later killed by the SAS
SAS
- Special forces :* Special Air Service, a special forces unit of the British Army* Australian Special Air Service Regiment * New Zealand Special Air Service * Rhodesian Special Air Service...
, to the group.
McGuire was eventually convicted over a failed bombing attempt.
August 2010
In August 2010 the parents and two sisters of Stephen Melrose visited Stormount in an effort to "find answers about his murder." They were greeted by Ulster Unionist MLA, David McNarryDavid McNarry
David McNarry MLA is a Unionist politician from Northern Ireland. He stood for the Ulster Unionist Party in North Down in the 1982 Assembly elections but failed to be elected. He is now a UUP MLA for Strangford, elected in 2003 and re-elected in 2007. He is currently UUP chief whip...
, but were refused a meeting by both Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness
Martin McGuinness
James Martin Pacelli McGuinness is an Irish Sinn Féin politician and the current deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. McGuinness was also the Sinn Féin candidate for the Irish presidential election, 2011. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland....
and Sinn Fein
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
President, Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
.
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Mr. Melrose's sister, Helen Jackson, said that the refusals of McGuinness and Adams "spoke volumes." She went on to say that:
Eighty-year old Roy Melrose stated:
Before travelling to Northern Ireland the family visited the murder scene in Holland for the first time.
See also
- Heidi Hazell
- The Hanna familyThe Hanna familyRobert James Hanna, Maureen Hanna and their only child David Hanna were killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb on 23 July 1988.-Overview:Robert Hanna was a forty-five year old building contractor married to Maureen, aged forty-four...
- Jean McConvilleJean McConvilleJean McConville was a woman from Northern Ireland who, in 1972, was abducted and killed by the Provisional IRA and secretly buried on a beach in the Republic of Ireland. The IRA subsequently claimed that she had been passing information on republican activities to British security forces...
- Gerry McCabe
- Ronan Kerr
- Thomas Oliver (farmer)Thomas Oliver (farmer)Thomas Oliver, farmer, killed by the IRA on 19 July 1991.-Overview:A farmer with no connection to paramilitary group or the security forces, Oliver was a thirty-seven year-old father of seven children, and a native of Riverstown on the Cooley peninsula, near Dundalk...
External links
- http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/local/strong_response_to_documentary_on_ira_murders_1_1849798
- http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/ira-suspect-charged-with-two-murders-1.571266
- http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/parents-of-lsquoforgottenrsquo-ira-victim-in-appeal-for-justice-14900751.html