John Weir: podcast appearances and interviews

John Weir, born in 1950, is known for his involvement in loyalist paramilitary activities and his service as an officer in the Royal Ulster Constabulary's Special Patrol Group in Northern Ireland. He was also a volunteer in the Ulster Volunteer Force, an illegal paramilitary organization, and operated within the UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade. Weir's activities included participation in sectarian attacks carried out by the Glenanne gang, a group of loyalist extremists active in the 1970s. He was convicted in 1977 along with a colleague for the sectarian killing of Catholic chemist William Strathearn and sentenced to life imprisonment. Weir provided an affidavit implicating Robin Jackson, other members of the Glenanne gang, soldiers from the Ulster Defence Regiment, and colleagues from the RUC and SPG in numerous sectarian attacks, including the Dublin and Monaghan bombings. These revelations were published in the 2003 Barron Report, an official investigation into the bombings. As of March 2025, reports indicated that an ex-RUC sergeant believed to be Weir was to be prosecuted for historical offences, including murder and conspiracy to murder, as part of the Operation Newham legacy investigation. Despite his tumultuous past, Weir is now associated with the Church Commissioners for England and is recognized for creating Mental Golf Type, a notable project in his post-service career.