Civilian casualties

Loyalist's Hidden Past: Derek 'Banic' Lammey's Troubling Connection to Fatal Stabbing

Strategic Insights

Oct 25, 2025 — 1 min read

Derek 'Banic' Lammey, a loyalist recently jailed for a UVF show of strength, has a dark past that has gone largely unexamined for nearly 45 years. In 1981, at the age of 16, Lammey was part of a gang that stabbed a Protestant civilian, David Smyth, to death during a gun robbery outside a drinking club in Greenisland, Co Antrim. The UVF gang escaped with a handgun, but were apprehended 10 days later when they tried to use it to hijack a lorry-load of cigarettes.

Key Takeaways:

Derek 'Banic' Lammey was part of a gang that stabbed a Protestant civilian, David Smyth, to death during a gun robbery in 1981.
Lammey, then 16 years old, was convicted of manslaughter, robbery, and membership of the Red Hand Commando.
He served three years in a Young Offenders Centre for his involvement in the fatal stabbing.
Lammey has 37 previous convictions, including terrorism offences and manslaughter.
He was jailed for 18 months for his involvement in a UVF show of strength in 2021.

Statistics:

1981: The year in which Lammey was part of a gang that stabbed a Protestant civilian, David Smyth, to death during a gun robbery.
16: The age of Lammey at the time of the fatal stabbing.
3 years: The length of Lammey's sentence in a Young Offenders Centre for his involvement in the fatal stabbing.
37: The number of previous convictions Lammey has, including terrorism offences and manslaughter.
18 months: The length of Lammey's sentence in 2021 for his involvement in a UVF show of strength.
2021: The year in which Lammey was charged with unlawful assembly, affray, and intimidation following the Pitt Park rally.
2023: The year in which Lammey was among a group of alleged UVF members 'stood down' from senior positions in the terror gang following an internal bloodless coup.

Sources:

Sunday Life, November 26, 2023
Belfast Crown Court verdicts, 2021
An indictment against Derek 'Banic' Lammey, 2021
Probation Board report, 2023
Police reports, 1981
Official Gazette of Ireland, 1982

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