Republicanism
In April 1973, Stagg was arrested with six others alleged to comprise an IRA unit planning bombing attacks in Coventry. He was tried at Birmingham Crown Court. The jury found three of the seven not guilty; the remaining four were all found guilty of criminal damage and conspiracy to commit arson. Stagg and English born priest, Father Patrick Fell, were found to be the unit’s commanding officers; Stagg was given a ten-year sentence and Fell twelve years. Thomas Gerald Rush was given seven years and Anthony Roland Lynch, who was also found guilty of possessing articles with intent to destroy property, namely nitric acid, balloons, wax and sodium chlorate, was given ten years.
Stagg was initially sent to the top security Albany Prison on the Isle of Wight. In March 1974, having been moved to Parkhurst Prison, he and fellow Mayo man Michael Gaughan joined a hunger strike begun by the sisters Marion Price and Dolours Price, Hugh Feeney and Gerry Kelly.
Following the hunger strike that resulted in the death of Michael Gaughan, the Price sisters, Feeney and Kelly were granted repatriation to Ireland. Stagg was denied repatriation, and was transferred to Long Lartin Prison, during his time there he was subject to solitary confinement for refusing to do prison work, he was also subjected, along with his wife and sisters during visits to humiliating body searches. In protest against this he began a second hunger strike that lasted for thirty-four days, this ended when prison governor agreed to an end to the strip-searches on Stagg and his visitors. Frank Stagg was bed-ridden for the rest of his incarnation in Long Lartin, due to a kidney complaint.
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