Terence Wheelock's Father and Brothers, 2006. Photo by Michael Gallagher.

Terence Wheelock was taken into custody on the 2nd of June 2005. The twenty year old man left Store Street station in a coma never to recover from the injuries that he received there and died in September 2005. His family is still waiting for an adequate explanation for what happened on that day in Store Street. The Gardai claim that Terence’s injuries were sustained while attempting suicide but the Wheelock family have disputed this and have launched a high profile campaign for an independent inquiry into Terence Wheelock’s death.

The demand for an inquiry is both reasonable and fair in light of the information that has come into the public domain since June 2005. Many of the details of the events surrounding Terence Wheelock’s death have been well documented on Indymedia, and in The Village. More recently the case has received attention from the Sunday Tribune and a number of other mainstream media outlets. Nonetheless, it is worth reiterating some of the most striking features of the case. For instance the cell where Terence Wheelock fell into a coma was immediately renovated before it could be inspected by the family’s legal team. The clothes Terence was wearing that day, which were later found to be blood spattered, were taken away by the Gardai and left in conditions that undermined the value of the garments as forensic evidence. Custody records in the station were inexplicably amended and numerous other inconsistencies have been noted in the Garda version of events. Moreover, witnesses who were at Store Street and who later appeared at the Coroner’s Court have questioned the Gardai’s account of what took place. Even more significantly the Gardai’s assertion that Terence Wheelock had no marks or bruises on his body when he was in custody has been flatly contradicted by photographic evidence obtained by the family from the Mater hospital which clearly shows extensive bruising and lacerations all over the young man.

The Campaign for Justice for Terence Wheelock is holding a peaceful protest this Saturday the 9th of June to mark the second anniversary of Terence Wheelock’s arrest and his subsequent death and to renew their call for an independent inquiry. The protest will meet at Sean McDermott Street church at 1 pm and then move to Store Street.

Related Links: Motion for Wheelock Inquiry Passed by Dublin City Council | Community and Family March on the First Anniversary of Terence Wheelock's Death. | The Wheelock Family move out of Summerhill after continuing Garda intimidation | Campaign of intimidation against family of Terence Wheelock continues | June 2006: Justice For Terence Wheelock Protest at Store Street Garda Station | Fighting for Justice; Fighting for the truth: an interview with the Wheelocks May 2006: Wheelock Family Attacked by Gardai | Another death caused by Garda Hospitality? - The parents of John Moloney demand an independent inquiry