Pearse McAuley (born in Strabane) is a former

Provisional IRA 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 reunif ...

member, who escaped from Brixton Prison in London on 7 July 1991 along with his cellmate

Nessan Quinlivan Nessan Quinlivan (born 1965), is a former Provisional IRA member who escaped from Brixton Prison in London on 7 July 1991 along with his cellmate Pearse McAuley, while awaiting trial on charges relating to a suspected IRA plot to assassinate a f ...

, while awaiting trial on charges relating to a suspected plot to assassinate former brewery company chairman, Sir

Charles Tidbury Sir Charles Henderson Tidbury, DL (26 January 1926 – 3 July 2003) was an English brewing executive, who was Chairman of Whitbread and President of the Institute of Brewing. Early life and military career Charles Henderson Tidbury was born i ...

. McAuley fled to Ireland, where he was granted bail while contesting extradition to Britain.

Manslaughter conviction

In 1999 McAuley was convicted of manslaughter in Dublin's

Special Criminal Court The Special Criminal Court (SCC; ga, Cúirt Choiriúil Speisialta) is a juryless criminal court in Ireland which tries terrorism and serious organised crime cases. Legal basis Article 38 of the Constitution of Ireland empowers the Dáil to ...

for his role in the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in the course of an armed robbery. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He was released from prison in August 2009, having served ten-and-a-half years of his sentence. The

Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal ad ...

announced it would not seek his extradition on charges related to the Brixton escape. His release prompted adverse commentary in the Irish press, with McAuley being described as a "psychopathic gun nut".

Marriage and separation

In 2003 he married

Pauline Tully Pauline Tully (formerly Pauline Tully-McAuley) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency since the 2020 general election. She was a member of Cavan County Council for the Ballyjames ...

, a

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 on

Cavan County Council Cavan County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae an Chabháin) is the authority responsible for local government in County Cavan, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for housing a ...

and was granted day release from prison to attend the wedding. The couple had two sons, and separated in February 2014.

Conviction for stabbing wife

On Christmas Eve, 2014, McAuley was arrested for stabbing his estranged wife multiple times in front of their two children. He was found guilty on 28 November 2015, and on 2 December 2015 was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment, the final four suspended. In her victim impact statement Ms Tully said "I am in absolute fear of him and fear that someday he will make another attempt on my life. I do not ever expect to enjoy a peaceful mind, but will live a life haunted by what happened to me." He was released from prison on 24 June 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McAuley, Pearse Escapees from England and Wales detention Irish escapees Irish people convicted of manslaughter Irish republicans Living people Provisional Irish Republican Army members Republicans imprisoned during the Northern Ireland conflict Year of birth uncertain 1960s births People convicted of domestic violence