Pearse McAuley is a former Provisional IRA Volunteer, who escaped from Brixton Prison in London on 7 July 1991 along with his cellmate Nessan Quinlivan

Nessan Quinlivan

Nessan Quinlivan , is a former Provisional IRA member who escaped from Brixton Prison in London on 7 July 1991 along with his cellmate Pearse McAuley, while awaiting trial on charges relating to a suspected IRA plot to assassinate a former brewery company chairman, Sir Charles Tidbury.In April...

, while awaiting trial on charges relating to a suspected IRA plot to assassinate a former brewery company chairman, Sir Charles Tidbury.

McAuley fled to the Republic of Ireland, where he was granted bail while contesting extradition to Britain.

In 1999 McAuley was convicted of manslaughter in Dublin's Special Criminal Court

Special Criminal Court

The Special Criminal Court is a juryless criminal court in the Republic of Ireland which tries terrorist and organized crime cases. Article 38 of the Constitution of Ireland empowers the Dáil to establish "special courts" with wide-ranging powers when "the ordinary courts are inadequate to secure...

 for his role in the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe

Jerry McCabe

Detective Garda Jerry McCabe was a member of the Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland. McCabe was murdered in Adare, County Limerick on 7 June 1996, by members of the paramilitary group, the Provisional IRA, during the attempted robbery of a post office van.-Early...

 in the course of an armed robbery and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

He was released from prison in August 2009, having served ten-and-a-half years of his sentence, at which time the Crown Prosecution Service

Crown Prosecution Service

The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...

 announced it would not seek his extradition on charges related to the Brixton escape.

He is married to Pauline Tully McAuley, a Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...

 councillor on Cavan County Council

Cavan County Council

Cavan County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Cavan in Ireland. The Council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach...

.