Roisin Nugent, the daughter of an unarmed driver killed by the SAS in 1991, has lodged an application for permission to appeal to Britain’s Supreme Court over the lethal military operation, The Independent reported. Three members of the IRA’s East Tyrone Brigade—Michael Ryan, Lawrence McNally, and 22-year-old Tony Doris—died when British soldiers opened fire on their vehicle in the village of Coagh on 3 June 1991.
The case centres on a 48-hour military operation planned after Special Branch intelligence indicated an IRA active service unit intended to murder an off-duty member of the Ulster Defence Regiment. The former SAS officer who commanded the mission, identified in podcast interviews as David, stated that his orders were to intercept and arrest the unit rather than kill them. To draw the paramilitaries into the open, the intended target was secretly removed from Hanover Square and replaced by an SAS soldier of similar build dressed to look like him.
How the Coagh Ambush Unfolded in Seconds
Shortly before 7.30am on Monday, 3 June 1991, an observation post spotted a red Vauxhall Cavalier carrying three IRA members toward Coagh. The vehicle stopped beside the decoy, and a man in the back seat raised an AK-type assault rifle directly at the substitute soldier. The covert SAS team issued an immediate go order, prompting the decoy to throw himself over a wall while a scaffolding lorry dropped its side to deploy a heavy cover group.
David stated that the entire shooting sequence took probably less than two seconds as soldiers judged an imminent threat existed to their colleague standing roughly 20 metres away. The Vauxhall Cavalier lurched forward, crashed into a parked vehicle, and the two remaining armed IRA members emerged before being shot dead. A 2024 inquest later established that driver Tony Doris was unarmed and that no member of the IRA unit fired a weapon during the encounter.
Legal Battles and Coroner Findings on SAS Tactics
The April 2024 inquest delivered findings regarding the conduct of the operation. Mr Justice Humphreys ruled that individual soldiers were justified in opening fire because they genuinely believed lives were in immediate danger.
The legal challenge has moved through the courts as the Doris family argues that Tony Doris should not have been shot. In April, Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan dismissed an appeal, finding that “Mr Doris was part of the threat to life in this fast-moving situation”.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Coagh Ambush Case
Why was the decoy target placed in Hanover Square?
British intelligence believed an IRA active service unit was preparing to assassinate an off-duty Ulster Defence Regiment member at his pickup spot. The intended victim was secretly replaced by an SAS soldier of matching build and age to draw the paramilitary unit into an arrest situation.
Were the IRA members armed during the 1991 incident?
The 2024 inquest established that driver Tony Doris was unarmed and that none of the three IRA men fired a weapon during the encounter. However, two AK-type assault rifles were subsequently recovered from the vehicle.
What is the current status of the legal proceedings?
Following the dismissal of an appeal by Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan in April, Roisin Nugent lodged an application for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.
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