Spence appealed against his conviction and was the subject of a release petition organised by the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee , although nothing came of either initiative . Despite the fact that control of the UVF lay ( nominally at least ) with Spence 's closest ally Samuel " Bo " McClelland , from prison Spence was often at odds with the group 's leadership , in particular with regards to the 1971 McGurk 's Bar bombing . Spence now argued that UVF members were soldiers and soldiers should not kill civilians , as had been the case at McGurk 's Bar . Spence respected Irish republican paramilitaries , who he felt also lived as soldiers , and to this end he wrote a sympathetic letter to the widow of Official IRA leader Joe McCann after he was killed in 1972
McGurk 's Bar bombing
McGurk's Bar bombing
Gusty Spence