Two former Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoners sued the British Home Office on Tuesday for damages, claiming they were assaulted by prison officers after an unsuccessful breakout.
Danny McNamee and Liam McCotter -- both now free men -- claim they were attacked after being recaptured following their break-out from Whitemoor maximum security jail in Cambridgeshire, eastern England, in 1994.
The pair are each seeking at least 50,000 pounds (75,000 dollars, 80,000 euros) in damages.
Their lawyer said at the High Court in London that they were subjected to excessive force by officers.
The IRA is the most powerful republican paramilitary group in Northern Ireland.
McNamee, 40, was convicted for playing a part in a bombing at London's Hyde Park in July 1982, which killed four British soldiers.
He was freed under the April 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which saw jailed members of paramilitary groups released early as part of an attempt to bring about peace in the province. His conviction was overturned in December 1998.
McCotter, 37, was jailed for 15 years in June 1988 for conspiracy to cause explosions.
The Home Office denies liability and argues that the men's injuries resulted from their actions in escaping or from the use of reasonable force when they were arrested -- LONDON (AFP)
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