Irish Republican News · May 21, 2016

Reconstruction takes place on anniversary of boy’s death

One Derry family has renewed hopes for justice following a re-enactment of the murder of Irish schoolboy Manus Deery by the British Army. It follows a directive from the Six County Attorney General, John Larkin, that a fresh inquest into the killing of Manus Deery should take place.

The 15-year-old, who came from Limewood Street in the Bogside, was shot dead by a soldier of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment on May 19, 1972. He was standing with a group of teenage friends in a nearby street when he was shot in the head. The soldier who killed Manus fired a single high velocity shot at the child from a sentry post on the city’s walls overlooking the Bogside.

The soldier, who has since died, fired from almost two hundred yards away.

On Monday night a group of barristers, lawyers, engineers and other experts stood on the spot from where the fatal shot was fired. They started the re-enactment at 9.30pm, the exact date and time Manus was shot.

Manus’ sister Helen Deery, accompanied by relatives and friends, stood near the spot where her brother died as part of the reconstruction process.

She said: “I feel kind of sad, but it’s progression because we need this inquest. It’s heart breaking. I can see our house from here you know. Manus only went about 100 yards from the house. It’s hard to believe that when you look at Westland Street that a wee boy of 15 went down it and never came back. It’s very emotional when you think about it.”

A preliminary enquiry into the case will be heard at Laganside Court in Belfast on Monday, June 13. It is expected that a date for an inquest into the killing can be set soon after that.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that one of the Parachute Regiment soldiers due to be questioned over the Bloody Sunday massacre, which took place 16 weeks before Manus was killed, has died. The news emerged as families of those killed and wounded on January 30, 1972 by members of the same Parachute Regiment received an update on the Bloody Sunday investigation from the PSNI this week. The PSNI did not say which of the victims or their families was involved.

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