Successors as leader of the s. T. O. P. About how Northern Ireland was pulled from tragedy to peace just after christmas in 1973 Thomas Needham i was bundled into his car i would say to school in west belfast he was never seen alive again by his friends or family it was in a deal of murder and tragedy in the province with 500. 00 people a year dying as nationalist and loyalist paramilitaries mobilised against the power sheeting stunning deal agreement alex takes up the tragic story with journalist and author David Blake Knox who has published a new book on the killing. David yes this book where they get station of this book come from there you know the very height of the troubles 970 free this dreadful murder tell us a bit more about it. Well i suppose part of the reason the crew moved to this story is as you say it was at the height of the troubles and i thought it reflected is a very unusual case it was sort of because they only German National to die in Northern Ireland and the trou