John Murphy (loyalist)
Encyclopedia
John Alexander Thompson Murphy (26 August 1950 – 10 August 1998) was a loyalist
from Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. He was one of the three leading men in the "Shankill Butchers
", an Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) murder gang.
(youngest). Outside his paramilitary career, little is known about him, although Martin Dillon
, author of a book on the "Shankill Butchers
", wrote that John and William acted as muscle to their younger brother when the latter was engaged in petty crime at school.
Other than being convicted, along with several of the "Butchers", with an assault on a man which occurred on 11 April 1977, John Murphy was never charged with involvement in the activities of the Butchers.
In 1998, Murphy's nephew William, son of his brother William, was arrested and remanded in prison for the murder of a 78-year-old in the Shankill Road area. His nephew was convicted of murder in January 1999 and received a life sentence. A suspended sentence was imposed on William Murphy (the elder) for possession of ammunition uncovered during a search of the family home in Battenberg Street.
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 one of the three leading men in the "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...
", an Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) murder gang.
Early life
Murphy was the second of three sons born to William and Joyce Murphy, the others being William (eldest) and Leonard "Lenny"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...
(youngest). Outside his paramilitary career, little is known about him, although Martin Dillon
Martin Dillon
Martin Dillon is an author and journalist from Northern Ireland. He worked for eighteen years at the BBC and has written a number of plays and novels, but he is best known for his non-fiction books about the Troubles....
, author of a book on the "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...
", wrote that John and William acted as muscle to their younger brother when the latter was engaged in petty crime at school.
Paramilitary activity
According to Dillon, John Murphy was party to the murder of rival loyalist Noel "Nogi" Shaw on 30 November 1975. After being shot in a loyalist drinking-den, Shaw's body was thrown into a laundry basket and dumped in an alleyway. He played an important role in passing orders to the "Butchers" from his brother Lenny, after the latter's imprisonment in March 1976.Other than being convicted, along with several of the "Butchers", with an assault on a man which occurred on 11 April 1977, John Murphy was never charged with involvement in the activities of the Butchers.
Later life and death
After Lenny's assassination, his elder brothers returned to domestic life in the Shankill. Martin Dillon wrote that the two brothers were overheard discussing the possibility of killing him (Dillon) for what he wrote about them in his book, The Shankill Butchers: a case study of mass murder.In 1998, Murphy's nephew William, son of his brother William, was arrested and remanded in prison for the murder of a 78-year-old in the Shankill Road area. His nephew was convicted of murder in January 1999 and received a life sentence. A suspended sentence was imposed on William Murphy (the elder) for possession of ammunition uncovered during a search of the family home in Battenberg Street.
Death
John Murphy died on 10 August 1998 in a car crash at the junction of the Grosvenor Road and the Westlink in Belfast.Sources
- Dillon, Martin The Shankill Butchers: a case study of mass murder (First and second editions, Arrow Books, London, 1990; Routledge, London, 1999).
- Jordan, Hugh Milestones in Murder. Defining moments in Ulster's terrorist war (Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh and London, 2002)
- Taylor, Peter Loyalists (Bloomsbury, London, 1999)