Emma Groves

Groves and Clara Reilly founded the United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets after the killing of John Downes in August 1984.

The greatest number of plastic bullets fired was between May and August 1981, the same period in which Bobby Sands and the other nine prisoners died on hunger strike.

In October 1976, Brian Stewart, 13 years old,[12] was killed in Belfast by a plastic bullet after being shot by a British soldier during a street riot.

Paul Whitters, aged 15, from Derry, died in April 1981 as the result of a bullet to the head fired by an RUC policeman.

[10][13][14][15] In Belfast, a 12-year-old, Carol Ann Kelly,[16] was fatally shot on her way home with a plastic bullet after buying milk, in May 1981.

"[10] In April 1982, an 11-year-old, Stephen McConomy, died from being shot with a plastic bullet by a soldier from the Royal Anglian Regiment.

The Campaign then began focusing its efforts on a London-based company, Astra Holdings, who it hoped would stop manufacturing the bullets.

Groves, in an interview with Silvia Calamati recorded in Belfast in August 1990, said, "In all these years the only member of the security forces to be brought to trial was Nigel Hegarty,[18][19][20][21] the police officer who killed John Downes.

"[10]Groves concluded her interview by saying, "The victims of plastic bullets are always offered large sums of money as compensation.

"[10] After John Downes, two more youths were killed by plastic bullets: Keith White,[12] a 22-year-old from Portadown (1986) and Seamus Duffy,[22] aged 15, from Belfast (1989).