Skip to content

Vandalism of Sean Graham bookmakers memorial 'hurtful and hateful', families say

Bernadette AllenBBC News NI
News imageBBC A memorial with names and pictures on it covered with marks of white paint.BBC
A memorial plaque to those killed in the Sean Graham bookmakers shootings was covered in white paint on Thursday

Families of those murdered in the Sean Graham bookmakers shootings have said the vandalism of a memorial is "very hurtful and hateful".

Five people were murdered in the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) attack on the Ormeau Road in south Belfast in 1992. Seven other people were injured.

A memorial plaque of those killed in the attack was smeared with white paint on Thursday.

The five people killed were all Catholics: Jack Duffin, 66; Willie McManus, 54; Christy Doherty, 52; Peter Magee, 18; and James Kennedy, 15.

News imagePacemaker Two police officers are standing in front of a memorial that has been splashed with white paint. There is police tape around the memorial.Pacemaker
Police were at the scene of the paint attack on the memorial

Tommy Duffin whose father was killed said it is "very hurtful" and "it brings back memories for the families".

Billy McManus whose father was also killed described it as "very hurtful and hateful".

He said "anything to do with dead" should never be vandalised in such a way.

"It just brings hurt to the families."

News imageMark Thompson. He has short grey-ish hair, wearing glasses and a dark blue shirt. The memorial plaque is behind him.
Mark Thompson from Relatives for Justice described the vandalism as a "deliberate attack" on the memory of peoples' loved ones

Mark Thompson from Relatives for Justice said families and injured were "waking to this deliberate attack on their loved ones' memory".

"This community has suffered enough."

News imageDeirdre Hargey. She has shoulder-length brown hair, wearing small gold hoop earrings and a brown shirt. A red brick wall is behind her.
Sinn Féin MLA for South Belfast Deirdre Hargey said monuments should be "sacrosanct"

Sinn Féin MLA for South Belfast Deirdre Hargey said she was shocked.

"Monuments should be sacrosanct. No monument should be attacked, and we are calling on the PSNI to investigate."

BBC News NI has approached the PSNI for comment.

What happened in the bookmakers attack?

News imagePacemaker Archive image of Sean Graham bookmakers shooting. The front of the building is yellow with black writing of 'Sean Graham'. A group of police officers are outside.Pacemaker
In 1992, two armed loyalist gunmen from the UDA opened fire inside the Sean Graham bookmakers on the Ormeau Road , killing five people and wounding seven others

At 14:20 on Wednesday, 5 February 1992, two armed loyalist gunmen from the UDA walked into Sean Graham's bookmakers on Belfast's Ormeau Road.

They opened fire indiscriminately using automatic weapons, hitting 12 of the 13 customers who were inside.

Five people were murdered in the attack. Seven more were wounded.

The Lower Ormeau is a mainly nationalist community and all of the victims were from a Catholic background.

In 2022 settlements were reached in High Court actions over alleged state collusion in the killings.

Victims and relatives had issued legal cases against the Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable, the UK government and the Ministry of Defence.