January 30 1975
MATTHEW Michael Bradley, a 23-year-old internee in Long Kesh, whose home is at Brighton Street, Belfast, was in the Northern Ireland High Court yesterday awarded agreed damages of £550 against the Ministry of Defence and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, for alleged assault and ill-treatment by the Army following his arrest almost three years ago.
Bradley claimed that he was arrested at 6:30am on February 16, 1972, in Beechmount Avenue, put into a Saracen and taken to the Army post at Eglington Bakery on the Springfield Road. Soldiers asked him a lot of questions about the IRA, and when he told them that he did not know what they were talking about, they began to beat him and kick him for half-an-hour. He was taken to an upstairs room and verbally abused and threatened. The questions started all over again and the beatings continued for at least two hours.
Bradley told the soldiers that he suffered from asthma, but this did not seem to worry them and they kept punching him around the stomach. He was made to do press ups and while doing this he was kicked repeatedly in the ribs. He was grabbed by the hair and twisted around and was punched in the face, ribs and stomach.
Bradley further alleged that an RUC man came in and started to kick and beat him around the room. The policeman pushed him against the wall and pulled out a revolver and hit him on the back of the neck with it. The policeman kept cocking the revolver at him and threatened to shoot him.
Other complaints made by Bradley were that he was taken down stairs and put in a searching position, but collapsed and was lifted up by a soldier who punched him in the ribs. He was asked to sign a statement that he did not receive any ill-treatment. He was in such a bad condition that he just scribbled his name on the paper. He was later given food but could not eat it because he was suffering from pains in the chest. He was taken to Musgrave Park Hospital by members of the Parachute Regiment for an X-ray and was later conveyed to Palace Barracks, Holywood. The next morning he could not eat and was taken to the prison ship, Maidstone.
Harrowing accounts of how an internee Matthew Michael Bradley was treated by members of the British Army and RUC were revealed, resulting in the British government being ordered to provide compensation.
