Who killed Darren Bradshaw? The chilling true story about homosexual policeman, 24, killed in Belfast's only openly gay bar in 1997 (and the Game of Thrones star who witnessed the shooting)
- Darren Bradshaw was killed in front of hundreds of partygoers on May 9, 1997
- The 24-year-old was at Belfast's only openly gay bar, The Parliament
- His story has been revisited by BBC documentary Blood On The Dancefloor
- READ MORE: Netflix viewers are left shaken by 'horrifying' true crime series
A BBC documentary has revisited the horrific killing of a gay police officer in Northern Ireland in the '90s.
On May 9, 1997, hundreds of partygoers were enjoying a night out at Belfast's only openly gay bar, The Parliament.
But eventually the night would take a deadly turn as policeman Darren Bradshaw, 24, one of the few openly gay officers in the Royal Ulster Constabulary, was shot dead by republicans.
The story of the unsolved murder - which shocked Northern Ireland and rocked the emerging LGBT community in the country - has been retold in the BBC documentary Spotlight: Blood On The Dancefloor.
Here, we explore more about the police officer, how he died and who killed him...
Darren Bradshaw was killed in front of hundreds of partygoers on May 9, 1997, when attending a night out at Belfast's only openly gay bar, The Parliament
Who was Darren Bradshaw?
Policeman Darren Bradshaw was one of only a few openly gay officers in the Royal Ulster Constabulary, before he was killed on Friday, May 9, 1997.
He came out as gay to charity Cara-Friend four years earlier, when he had just moved to Belfast as a graduate and was nervous about how to integrate into the city's gay scene.
At that time, homophobia was still prevalent in Northern Irish and wider society. Those who frequented The Parliament were often harassed on their way in or out, or met by religious protesters, reported the BBC.
In 1997, it was still legal to fire someone and refuse tenants based on their sexuality.
How did Darren Bradshaw die?
On the night he died, Darren had arranged to meet someone new at the bar. The person in question went on to tell police that he went to the bar but could not find the police officer.
At around 10pm, when Darren had been at the bar for a couple of hours, a gunman entered The Parliament looking for someone.
He was killed in front of hundreds of revellers at Belfast's only gay bar at the time - The Parliament
The person walked up to Darren and shot him in the back from around three feet, before fleeing.
His police trainer and friend, Vincent Creelan, was called by officers on the scene to identify the body.
The murder was a huge knock for Belfast's gay community as rumours developed over who knew Darren was going to be at the bar that night and who might have betrayed him.
Who murdered Darren Bradshaw?
Darren's murder remains unsolved, but he was shot by republicans, in the year before the Northern Ireland peace process was achieved.
The gunman arrived at the bar with one accomplice, who was also armed, in a stolen red Toyota Carola.
Game Of Thrones star Kristian Nairn - a regular at The Parliament at the time - recalled one of the men having a clearly drawn-on beard and a wig.
Republican paramilitary group the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) claimed responsibility for the killing, but no one has ever been convicted for Darren's murder.
