John Gregg (UDA)

John Gregg (1957? - February 1, 2003) (nicknamed "Grug") was a senior member of the UDA/UFF Loyalist organization in Northern Ireland. He was considered a "hawk" in Loyalist circles.

Members of the brigade he commanded were believed to be behind the killings of Catholic postman Danny McColgan, Protestant teenager Gavin Brett, and Trevor Lowry, (the latter kicked to death in the mistaken belief he was a Catholic), and a spate of pipe bomb attacks on the homes of Catholics.

On March 14, 1984, he severely wounded Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams in an assassination attempt for which he was jailed. When asked by the BBC in prison if he regretted anything about the shooting, his reply was "only that I didn't succeed."

A senior police source once described him as a man driven by "pure and absolute bigotry".

During his time in prison, Gregg was the victim of several IRA attacks, one of which left him with only one eye.

He played the bass drum in the UDA affiliated flue band "Cloughfern Young Conquerors"

Gregg was part of the group of senior UDA figures that expelled Johnny Adair from the UDA in September 2002. He was killed on Belfast's Nelson Street, along with another UDA member (Rab Carson), while travelling in a taxi from the docks, returning from Glasgow, where he routinely went to watch Rangers F.C.. The murder was blamed on supporters of Johnny Adair, who was himself by then in prison. Days later, family and supporters of Adair fled to Scotland after death threats.

References

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/3004450.stm BBC profile]