Robert Bates (loyalist)
Encyclopedia
Robert William Bates (12 December 1948 – 11 June 1997) was an Ulster loyalist
from Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. He was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the infamous Shankill Butchers
gang, led by Lenny Murphy
.
Bates, who had a criminal record dating back to 1966, was convicted in February 1979 of murder and given ten life sentences, with a recommendation by the trial judge, Mr Justice O'Donnell, that he should never be released.
While in the Maze Prison, he was said to have "found God", and as a result became a born-again Christian.
In October 1996, 18 month prior to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, Bates was cleared for early release by the Life Sentence Review Board. He was given the opportunity of participating in a rehabilitation scheme, spending the day on a work placement and returning to prison at night. As he arrived for work at in his native Shankill area of Belfast early on the morning of 11 June 1997, Bates was shot dead by the son of a UDA
man he had killed in 1977. He was a buried in a Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
ceremony by Rev Alan Smylie.
Bates' name was subsequently included on the banner
of a prominent Orange Lodge on the Shankill Road, called Old Boyne Island Heroes. A fellow Lodge member and former friend of Bates defended the inclusion of his name to journalist Peter Taylor
: "I knew him very well and he'd been a personal friend for twenty or thirty years and to me he was a gentleman". He went on to describe him as having been "an easy-going, decent fellow, and as far as the Lodge is concerned, a man of good-standing". Bates' funeral was attended by a large representation from local Orange Lodges.
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...
from 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...
, Northern Ireland
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...
. He was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the infamous Shankill Butchers
Shankill Butchers
The Shankill Butchers is the name given to an Ulster loyalist gang, many of whom were members of the Ulster Volunteer Force . The gang conducted paramilitary activities during the 1970s in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was most notorious for its late-night kidnapping, torture and murder of random...
gang, led by Lenny Murphy
Lenny Murphy
Hugh Leonard Thompson Murphy, who commonly went by the name Lenny , was an Ulster loyalist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Murphy was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force and leader of the infamous Shankill Butchers a gang which became notorious for its torture and murder of Catholic men...
.
Bates, who had a criminal record dating back to 1966, was convicted in February 1979 of murder and given ten life sentences, with a recommendation by the trial judge, Mr Justice O'Donnell, that he should never be released.
While in the Maze Prison, he was said to have "found God", and as a result became a born-again Christian.
In October 1996, 18 month prior to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, Bates was cleared for early release by the Life Sentence Review Board. He was given the opportunity of participating in a rehabilitation scheme, spending the day on a work placement and returning to prison at night. As he arrived for work at in his native Shankill area of Belfast early on the morning of 11 June 1997, Bates was shot dead by the son of a UDA
Uda
Uda can refer to:*Emperor Uda, Emperor of Japan*Uda, Nara, a city in Japan*Uda, a Japanese name*Shintaro Uda, inventor of the Yagi-Uda antenna*Uda , a breed of domestic sheep*Uda, a commune in Argeş County, Romania...
man he had killed in 1977. He was a buried in a Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster
The Free Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian denomination founded by the Rev. Ian Paisley in 1951. Most of its members live in Northern Ireland...
ceremony by Rev Alan Smylie.
Bates' name was subsequently included on the banner
Banner
A banner is a flag or other piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or other message. Banner-making is an ancient craft.The word derives from late Latin bandum, a cloth out of which a flag is made...
of a prominent Orange Lodge on the Shankill Road, called Old Boyne Island Heroes. A fellow Lodge member and former friend of Bates defended the inclusion of his name to journalist Peter Taylor
Peter Taylor (Journalist)
Peter Taylor born in Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire is a British journalist and documentary-maker who had covered for many years the political and armed conflict in Northern Ireland, widely known as the Troubles...
: "I knew him very well and he'd been a personal friend for twenty or thirty years and to me he was a gentleman". He went on to describe him as having been "an easy-going, decent fellow, and as far as the Lodge is concerned, a man of good-standing". Bates' funeral was attended by a large representation from local Orange Lodges.