Lindsay Robb

Lindsay Robb (1967–31 December 2005) was a Northern Irish loyalist who was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) before defecting to the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF). A native of Lurgan, County Armagh, Robb was a leading member of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) until 1995 when he was convicted of smuggling guns. Having been the main witness in the trial of a leading Provisional Irish Republican Army member in the early 1990s, Robb subsequently made a number of allegations about collusion between the British security forces and the loyalist paramilitaries. He later died in violent circumstances.

Ulster Volunteer Force Robb, who was working as a graphic designer at the time, made the headlines, albeit without his name being revealed, in 1993 when he gave evidence at the trial of Colin Duffy, who was charged with the murder of Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldier John Lyness. Robb's evidence helped to ensure a guilty verdict for Duffy, who was handed a life sentence. Robb was identified only as "Witness C" during the trial.

However, Robb first came to prominence with the PUP, serving as a member of their negotiations team during the early stages of the Northern Ireland peace process. Along with Jackie Mahood, the commander of the UVF in north Belfast, Robb was one of two members of the PUP/UVF talks delegation seen as being close to UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade commander Billy Wright who at the time was regarded as one of the main "hawks" within the UVF leadership. A rumour even circulated at the time that Robb, acting under orders from Wright, had been passing on details of the PUP's meetings to Ian Paisley in an attempt to damage UVF cohesion. Nonetheless, both Robb and Mahood were present at Stormont Castle during the first round of talks with British government representatives soon after the loyalist ceasefire.

Robb was arrested in Scotland soon after the Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) ceasefire for his role in the smuggling of weapons for the UVF. During the subsequent trial, the court was told that Robb led a double life, combining his political activism with a role as a travelling fundraiser for the UVF around Scottish pubs and Orange halls. From his base in the "Tam Bain" pub in Laurieston, Falkirk, Robb had recruited a gang of supporters to help him smuggle arms into Northern Ireland. Robb had visited Liverpool, where he purchased guns, but was followed by police who eventually stopped Robb and arrested him in Airdrie. Robb and Billy Wright, who was in custody at the same time, were described as "loyalist hostages" in an article in UVF magazine Combat published at that time.

Post-release Under the terms of the Belfast Agreement he was released from prison early in 1999. He moved with his family to Airdrie and worked as a gardener.

In 2000 Robb gave an interview to the Sunday Herald in which he claimed the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) had colluded with loyalists to ensure the imprisonment of Duffy. He claimed that the RUC had approached the UVF in Lurgan asking them to provide a fake witness who would testify that Duffy had been at the scene of Lyness's murder. He added that he had been paid £2000 by the RUC for providing the testimony as well as a weapon for personal protection. Robb's claims were endorsed by senior figures within the UVF, who confirmed that they were keen to get rid of Duffy and felt that the deal implied that the police would "go easy" on the UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade. Robb had been waiting in his Ford Fiesta car on Gartloch Road in the Ruchazie area outside an off-licence when he was subjected to what Strathclyde Police investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Alan Buchanan described as a "vicious" attack. Tollett, a 29-year-old former soldier with the Royal Fusiliers who had served in the Balkans and who claimed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result, was found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. The court determined that Tollett had killed Robb after the two fought over a £140 drug debt and that Robb had been stabbed as part of a physical struggle between the two men.