For JUNE 2000 issue

SCIENCE IN CRIME DETECTION

paramilitary punishment in northern ireland

-Dr. Anil Aggrawal

This time I wish to take the dear readers of Crime and Detective, across the seas to a different country, Northern Ireland. Here certain shady organizations such as “Irish Republican Army” or IRA for short, carry out their own punishments to the criminals. Their logic is that the actual conviction by the courts may take much time, and why shouldn’t they punish the criminals themselves. Even right here in our country, some people may get frustrated at the delay in court rulings, and may want to mete out their own punishments. This has even spawned a new class of films having titles like “Insaaf Main Karoonga” and so on. The interesting thing is that in Northern Ireland, such organizations are already working. We will take a look at which criminals they target, and what punishments they give. I am dealing this topic here because even though these organizations punish the criminals, yet these acts are basically illegal, as no court has found them guilty. There are widespread rumors, that a “kangaroo court” actually “sits in judgment” and pronounces judgment. This was even reported to the House of Commons in December 1974 by Mr. Merlyn Rees, who was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland at that time. It is not clear how far these rumors are correct. However, it is evident from interviewing victims of these types of trauma that most of them had knowledge of their impending assaults, and some have stated that they knew their assailants but would never be willing to identify them.

Since August 1969 these paramilitary organizations have arisen from both sections of the community; by far the largest of these is the Irish Republican Army (IRA). As a macabre adjunct to their well documented activities these organizations carry out “punishments for antisocial behavior”.

In this article, I would try to tell the various forms of “punishment” that have been reported, with particular reference to low velocity gunshot wounds that are changing the character and distribution of such punishment. The majority of punishments are performed by the IRA in an attempt to stop petty criminals and “joyriders” from carrying out their antisocial activities, although some are also carried out by loyalist paramilitary organizations. Joyriders are car thieves who cruise and race the cars they steal. The car is stolen from an area different from that in which the joyriders live, often parking areas in hospitals or residential areas. The car is then driven into the joyriders’ locality and raced around until either the petrol runs out or the car is crashed. It is then set on fire or left for other individuals to steal spare parts from it. The joyriders are commonly between the ages of 14 and 22 years. Four individuals are usually involved, with the youngest sometimes having the “job” of lying across the back window shelf, so called “sandbagging.” It has been suggested that sandbagging acts as a deterrent to security forces who may fire at the car if it is driven through a checkpoint at high speed. Victims of paramilitary punishment are admitted to a “take-in” hospital. The largest of these is the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast, which plays a major role in the management of trauma arising as a result of civil disturbance. It is fortunate for victims that it is closely adjacent to the areas most frequently involved in the disturbance. Evacuation of victims of civil disturbance has been rapid in Belfast in comparison with that in other zones of conflict. The time lag from injury to hospitalization averaged 10.5 hours in World War II, 6.3 hours in Korean War, and 2.8 hours in Vietnam War. In Belfast 95% of victims are hospitalized within 30 minutes of injury.

Tarring and Feathering

Tarring and feathering is one of the earliest paramilitary punishments reported in Irish civil disorders. The victims were commonly female and selected because of their associations with men from the armed forces or from across the religious/socioeconomic divide, which is thought to be a form of collaboration with the enemy. In the early phase of the current “troubles” it was also the punishment for giving information to the security forces, so called “touting” (the current penalty for informing is death). The victim’s body and hair were doused with hot bitumen and then covered with feathers.

(Editor: Please reproduce Figs. 001 & 002 here)

Concomitant beatings and close cropping of the hair were not uncommon, with the victim secured to a lamppost or railing in an obviously public place. This was to serve as a warning to others in the locality. It was regarded as a severe social stigma for a family to have a member tarred and feathered.

Punishment Beatings

Hurling, colloquially called Hurley, is a game played predominantly by members of the Roman Catholic community with a hard ball that is struck by a player who carries a stick. It has some similarities to lacrosse. Assaults produced by beatings with the sticks used in this sport are commonplace as an initial “warning” to perpetrators of antisocial activities. The injuries inflicted reflect the spread-eagled prone position in which the victim is forced to lie: limb injuries are most common with or without head injuries. The upper limb injuries most commonly sustained include fractures around the elbow joint, isolated fractures of forearm bones, and fractures of the small bones of the hand (known technically as metacarpals)

(Editor, please reproduce figs. 003, 004, & 005 here).

The lower limb injuries sustained are usually around the knee joint; ankle and foot injuries are less common.

(Editor, please reproduce figs. 006 here).

Approximately 25% of the fractures are very bad – so much so, that the broken bones come out of the skin. These fractures are technically known as compound fractures. Approximately 10% of patients have serious complications of their injuries such as open depressed skull fractures, paralysis of arm nerves (ulnar nerve palsies), and other complications. It was reported that sticks with embedded nails were used to punish some individuals. The use of baseball bats and pickaxe handles has also been reported, with the distribution of injuries being similar. A rare variant of paramilitary beating punishment which has only been encountered on a few occasions is the “crucifixion.” With the victim held to the ground by his assailants he was nailed via his palm to the floor. He was then beaten with baseball bats.

Breeze Blocking

A breeze block is a heavy cement block used in construction and this punishment assault is performed by dropping a breeze block onto the limb of a victim who has been forced to lie on the ground. The injuries are usually to the hands or feet, with compound fractures of the small bones of the hand and feet most common.

(Editor, please reproduce figs. 007 here).

On hospital admission the victim often reports an injury that is inconsistent with the clinical findings. This is partially to avoid the stigma of being labeled as “punished,” but also to avoid the involvement of security force personnel.

The “Black’n’Decka”

The rare form of punishment known as “black’n’decka” is thought to have arisen as a direct result of a hand gun jamming immediately before a punishment shooting. The victim was held down and a power drill was driven through both lower thighs. Surprisingly, the victim sustained only soft-tissue injuries and recovered well following debridement and delayed primary suture.

Low-velocity Hand Gun Injuries

Low-velocity handgun punishment injuries to the lower limbs have been described locally as “kneecappings.” The term “kneecapping” is really a misnomer since very few victims, about 5% only sustain injuries of the knee cap. The pattern of such injuries in the past has been either uncomplicated, i.e., soft-tissue injury alone or complicated with fractures, injuries to the blood vessels, or damage to the occurring singly or in combination.

These then are some of the punishments which IRA metes out on criminals immediately after it finds that a criminal has committed a crime. This type of punishment has no legal sanction, but perhaps the public is happy because it keeps the criminals in constant fear of being “punished”, by these organizations.

Captions

001: Tarring and feathering. Note that this man has also been shot in the left leg.

002: Two victims of tarring and feathering. “Touting” is the colloquial phrase for informing.

003: Isolated ulnar fracture as a result of a punishment beating with a “hurley” stick.

004: External Signs of damage to the hand following a beating with baseball bats.

005. Metacarpal and phalangeal fractures following a beating with baseball bats.

006: Evidence of a blow to the outer aspect of the ankle. Isolated fracture of the fibula.

007. Great toe injury after a "breeze blocking."

Source: Paramilitary Punishment in Northern Ireland: A Macabre Irony, by R.M. Nicholas et al. The Journal of Trauma, Vol 34, No. 1, 1993, pages 90-95