use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = , burial_coordinates = , monuments = , nationality = , other_names = , siglum = , citizenship = , education = , alma_mater = , occupation = , years_active = , era = , employer = , organization =

Ulster Defence Association The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 as an umbrella group for various loyalist groups and undertook an armed campaign of almost 24 years as one of t ...

, agent = , known_for = , notable_works = , style = , height = , television = , title = , term = , predecessor = , successor = , party = , movement =

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

loyalist , opponents = , boards = , criminal_charges = Greysteel massacre, Castlerock killings , criminal_penalty = 12 life sentences,

Maze Prison Her Majesty's Prison Maze (previously Long Kesh Detention Centre, and known colloquially as The Maze or H-Blocks) was a prison in Northern Ireland that was used to house alleged paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from August 1971 to Sep ...

, criminal_status = Released after 7 years, part of

Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA), or Belfast Agreement ( ga, Comhaontú Aoine an Chéasta or ; Ulster-Scots: or ), is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April 1998 that ended most of the violence of The Troubles, a political conflict in No ...

, spouse = , partner = , children = , parents = , mother = , father = , relatives = , family = , callsign = , awards = , website = , module = , module2 = , module3 = , module4 = , module5 = , module6 = , signature = , signature_size = , signature_alt = , footnotes = Torrens Knight (born 4 August 1969) is a

loyalist, who belonged to the North Antrim and Londonderry Brigade of the

(UDA). In 1993 he took part in two mass murders in County Londonderry: the Greysteel massacre (in which eight

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not " combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant ...

s were shot dead) and the Castlerock killings (in which three civilians and a

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...

(IRA) member were killed). After being convicted—along with three others—for the killings, he served seven years in the

before his release in 2000 under the terms of the

Early life

Knight spent his formative years living at his grandmother's farmhouse in the rural area of Aghadowey, County Londonderry, after his parents separated. In early adulthood he developed an

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

to poker gambling machines which resulted in his exposure of stealing money from his grandmother to fund his habit. As a result of this, he was asked to leave the home and moved to the town of

Portstewart Portstewart () is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,003 people in the 2011 Census. It is a seaside resort neighbouring Portrush. Its harbour and scenic coastal paths form an Atlantic promenade lead ...

, County Londonderry. Living with a loyalist, he started drinking alcohol and involving himself with

criminality In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

Paramilitary activity

His initial starting point within loyalism was selling a magazine for a loyalist prisoners' association. He progressed to the ranks of the UDA and carried out acts like robberies and punishment beatings. Knight was part of a four-man UDA group sent to conduct an attack in revenge for the

Shankill Road bombing The Shankill Road bombing was carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 23 October 1993 and is one of the most well-known incidents of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The IRA aimed to assassinate the leadership of the loya ...

. Their target was the Rising Sun bar in

Greysteel Greysteel or Gresteel is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies to the east of Derry and to the west of Limavady on the main A2 coast road between Limavady and Derry, overlooking Lough Foyle. It is designated as a Larg ...

, where Knight, Stephen Irwin, Jeffrey Deeney and Brian McNeill shot eight dead (six Catholics and two Protestants). After the leading gunman, Irwin shouted "

trick or treat Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". Th ...

", he and Deeney raked the bar with gunfire, while Knight, armed with a shotgun, stood at the door. A total of 19 other people were injured. McNeill was the driver of one of the cars used after the shootings. The attack was claimed by the "Ulster Freedom Fighters" (UFF), a covername used by the UDA. Knight was given eight

life sentence Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes fo ...

s for his part in the Greysteel killings and a further four more for the killings in

Castlerock Castlerock is a seaside village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is five miles west of Coleraine, and part of Causeway Coast and Glens district. It is very popular with summer tourists, with numerous apartment blocks and two caravan ...

. He served seven years in the Maze Prison before paramilitary prisoners were granted a general release under the Good Friday Agreement in 2000.Loyalist killer found guilty of assault

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

, 22 October 2009, retrieved 27 October 2009

Allegations of being an informant

According to

David McKittrick David McKittrick (born 1949) is a Belfast-born journalist who has reported on Northern Ireland since 1971. Professional career McKittrick began his career as a reporter for the ''East Antrim Times''. He joined the ''Irish Times'' in 1973 as a r ...

, there had been rumours that Knight had been a

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

informer An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...

.Was this loyalist murderer in the police's pay?
David McKittrick,

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

, 18 February 2006, retrieved 27 October 2009 Suspicions have been voiced by

John Dallat John Dallat (24 March 1947 – 5 May 2020) was an Irish politician in the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) who represented East Londonderry in the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1998 to 2016, and then from 2017 until his death in 2 ...

, a member of the nationalist

Social Democratic and Labour Party The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) ( ga, Páirtí Sóisialta Daonlathach an Lucht Oibre) is a social-democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland ...

(SDLP). Dallat, who said he was in touch with police about Knight before the attacks in Greysteel and Castlerock, claimed they might have been prevented since it was known Knight was an extremist. In 2000 Knight attracted the attention of staff at a bank where he was withdrawing large amounts of money from an account into which £50,000 a year was being paid. The bank's concern was that Knight was involved in money laundering, but, when police were contacted, an assurance was given that everything was in order. The money was said to be from a Scottish engineering firm, but the account was quickly closed down. Police ombudsman

Nuala O'Loan Nuala Patricia O'Loan, Baroness O'Loan, (born 20 December 1951), known between 2007 and 2009 as Dame Nuala O'Loan, is a noted public figure in Northern Ireland. She was the first Police Ombudsman from 1999 to 2007. In July 2009, it was announc ...

investigated Dallat's claim that police had prior information about Greysteel, stating that there was no evidence this was the case. She also stated that Knight's conviction and sentence led her to believe that he was not being protected by police, but added that it was beyond her remit to investigate whether or not he was a paid informer.

Alleged membership of Apprentice Boys

In 2008

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur G ...

councillor

Billy Leonard Billy Leonard (born 13 January 1955) is an Irish republican retired politician who was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for East Londonderry from 2010 to 2011. A former Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) officeholder, he ...

claimed that Knight was a member of the

Kilrea Kilrea ( , ) is a village, townland and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It gets its name from the ancient church that was located near to where the current Church of Ireland is located on Church Street looking over the tow ...

branch of the Apprentice Boys. It was claimed that Knight took part in a parade in Kilrea and laid a wreath at the

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

in the village. The Kilrea branch of the Apprentice Boys denied this as did Knight himself. A spokesman stated that Knight wasn't a member and that they will demand an apology and explanation from Sinn Féin. Knight also stated that John Dallat and Billy Leonard are taking part in a 'hate campaign' against him and challenged the nationalist politicians 'to get off his back'.

2009 conviction

In October 2009, Knight was found guilty of assaulting two sisters in a bar in Coleraine. As a result, his early release licence was suspended and he was returned to jail. He was later sentenced to four months jail for the assault. The judge said "The injuries sustained were consistent with a vicious attack on the two women and of particular concern in this case is that you kicked Ms Nicholl while she was on the ground, prone and unable to defend herself.... People who do that can expect no mercy or sympathy from these courts. You acted as a bully when you approached these sisters. You lost control and lashed out". After Knight was returned to prison in 2009 it was revealed that Trevor Collins, a member of

Jim Allister James Hugh Allister (born 2 April 1953) is a British Unionist politician and barrister in Northern Ireland. He founded the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) political party in 2007, leading the party since its formation. Allister has served ...

Traditional Unionist Voice The Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. In common with all other Northern Irish unionist parties, the TUV's political programme has as its sine qua non the preservation of Northern Ireland's place ...

political party from

Garvagh Garvagh ( or ''Garbhachadh'' meaning "rough field") is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is on the banks of the Agivey River, south of Coleraine on the A29 route. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,288. It is situ ...

, was collecting signatures campaigning for his release from prison. The TUV said it would not be taking action against Collins for instigating the petition. Knight was released on 6 August 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Torrens 1969 births Living people 20th-century British criminals 21st-century British criminals British male criminals British mass murderers Criminals from County Londonderry People convicted of murder by Northern Ireland Place of birth missing (living people) Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Northern Ireland Ulster Defence Association members Ulster loyalists imprisoned on charges of terrorism