Jennifer McCann (born 1 March 1960) is an Irish republican former politician in Northern Ireland, who was elected in 2007 to the Northern Ireland Assembly as a Sinn Féin member for Belfast West. She resigned from the Assembly in December 2016. Early life McCann was born in the Twinbrook area of Belfast, and was friends with Bobby Sands and his sister Bernadette. She joined the republican movement as a schoolgirl, becoming a member of Cumann na mBan then joining the Provisional Irish Republican Army aged 17. McCann was arrested aged 20, after shooting a Royal Ulster Constabulary police officer, and subsequently sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. Political career McCann was released from prison after serving just over ten years of her sentence, and began working for Sinn Féin in the POW Department and Women's Department. She is active on a number of projects in her community, including the Sally Gardens Community Centre Committee, the Safer Neighbourhoods Project, the Colin Community Festival, and the Falls Community Council's Community Drugs Programme. Personal life McCann is married to former IRA prisoner Rab Kerr, with whom she has three children. References Sources Bobby Sands was a great role model – he was never arrogant Sunday Tribune (archived), 12 November 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly West Belfast MLAs Stratagem NI 1960 births Female members of the Northern Ireland Assembly Irish republicans Irish republicans imprisoned under Prevention of Terrorism Acts Junior ministers of the Northern Ireland Assembly (since 1999) Living people Northern Ireland MLAs 2007–2011 Northern Ireland MLAs 2011–2016 Northern Ireland MLAs 2016–2017 Politicians from Belfast Provisional Irish Republican Army members Sinn Féin MLAs 21st-century women politicians from Northern Ireland Cumann na mBan members