Bomb victim glad to hear of tyrant’s death

Ronnie Pollock said he would like to have seen the dictator tried for his crimes but said he was “glad to hear he had come to an end.” Mr Pollock, who is aged in his 80s, had his legs blown off by a booby-trap bomb planted under his car in 1981.

When news of Colonel Gaddafi’s death broke, just a few weeks ahead of the anniversary of Mr Pollock’s bomb blast this month, there was increased hope that the victims of an IRA campaign, partly funded by the Libyan tyrant, may finally be compensated. Prime Minister David Cameron said Gaddafi’s death was a day to remember victims including those of “IRA terrorism who died through their use of Libyan semtex”.

But Mr Pollock said no amount of money will ever bring his legs back.

“I don’t feel that if I was compensated it would make any difference to me,” he said. “My injuries aren’t going to go away.” Mr Pollock was left with a broken arm and wheelchair-bound following the blast at his home. He recalled the moment the bomb went off when speaking to the Leader two years ago.

“I had just started up the engine when I heard the click and I knew at once it wasn’t a mechanical click,” he said. “A second later came the blast and after that the pain which was intense and unrelenting.”

Since then, despite some health issues associated with old age, the grandfather said he is in good form. “I am in good health,” he said. “I’m maybe in better health than the people who planted the bomb under my car. I look forward to each new day.”