A High Court judge in Belfast heard arguments that it would be "inconceivable" for loyalist paramilitaries to have murdered a Gaelic football fan in 1975 without active participation by members of the security forces. Sean Farmer, a married father of five, was shot dead along with his friend Colm McCartney during what appeared to be a routine vehicle checkpoint in County Armagh. According to BBC News, the Farmer family is pursuing a civil case against the Ministry of Defence alleging misfeasance in public office, negligence and trespass to the person.
The victims were travelling home from an All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park on the night of the attack when they encountered what appeared to be a checkpoint staffed by uniformed personnel near the border at Altnamackin. Des Fahy KC, representing the Farmer family, told the court that the checkpoint was operated by members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) known as the Glenanne Gang, a group he described as including serving members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). A separate civil action against the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) was settled the previous week, with the family receiving undisclosed damages and an apology.
According to RTÉ News, Farmer was shot six times during the attack. An RUC patrol had encountered the bogus checkpoint approximately 45 minutes before the murders occurred, reported it to superiors, but no response followed because military support was unavailable at the time.
What evidence links security forces to the killings?
Fahy argued that the evidence and intelligence available implicated serving members of both the UDR and RUC in the murders. He told the court that these individuals had been connected to multiple attacks attributed to the Glenanne Gang, including not only the Farmer and McCartney killings but also the murders of the Reavey brothers—three men shot dead at their home in Whitecross, County Armagh, several months later. Significantly, the Historical Enquiries Team found that several guns used in the Farmer and McCartney killings were later used to murder the Reavey brothers, five months afterward, suggesting a coordinated operation spanning months.
Fahy presented the family's core argument to the court:
The plaintiff's case is that it is inconceivable that loyalist terrorists could have planned and carried out this attack, using UDR intelligence, equipment and guns, without the involvement of personnel in the service and employment of the second defendant.He pointed to the similarities between this attack and the Miami Showband killings, which occurred just three weeks earlier and involved serving UDR members dressed in uniform.
What is the Ministry of Defence's position?
Mark Robinson KC, counsel for the MoD, denied any involvement by the UDR or any serving member in the killings. He characterised the plaintiff's case as
based on hearsay and intelligence, and intelligence is not evidence. Robinson argued that even if a soldier were proven to have been present at the scene, that individual would not have been acting within their official military role.
What did the Historical Enquiries Team investigation reveal?
The Farmer family initiated legal action after a Historical Enquiries Team (HET) report into the shootings identified what it described as
disturbing omissionsand a
lack of any structured investigative strategy. Former HET investigator Steve Morris testified before the High Court, stating that in his professional assessment, the
vast majorityof the Glenanne Gang were members of the security forces. Morris drew parallels between the Farmer-McCartney murders and the Miami Showband incident, noting that
That was carried out by a number of individuals, some of whom were serving members of the UDR and dressed as the UDR.
How has the family been affected?
Brendan Farmer, one of Sean Farmer's four sons, gave testimony describing the profound impact of his father's murder on the household. He recalled a fundamentally changed family home and his mother being frequently tearful in the years following the killing. Brendan said he experienced persistent anxiousness and turned to alcohol in his later years as a coping mechanism for the trauma.
Who were the Glenanne Gang?
The Glenanne Gang operated as a faction within the UVF during the 1970s, based at a farm in Glenanne, County Armagh. The group has been linked with numerous murders across the decade. Operation Kenova, a major investigation into the gang's activities, reviewed 98 incidents that resulted in 127 deaths. However, a report published in 2025 concluded that
an easily defined discrete Glenanne Gang did not exist.Instead, the investigation found that the term had evolved to describe
a broader networkof UVF paramilitaries who acted in coordination with what the report characterised as
corruptmembers of the police and army.
The decision not to prosecute a former RUC officer suspected in multiple Glenanne-linked murders, including the Farmer and McCartney killings, came in 2024 when prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence. The Public Prosecution Service stated that key allegations rested on documentary records from a third party rather than direct witness testimony, making a criminal case untenable.
What happens next?
The MoD case was scheduled to proceed to trial on Monday, 19 October 2026, following the settlement of the PSNI action. The court will examine whether the Ministry of Defence bears legal responsibility for the deaths of Farmer and McCartney through the actions or negligence of serving military personnel.
