Terence Wheelock
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Terence Wheelock, a 20 year old young man from Summerhill in the North Inner City of Dublin died on the 16th of September 2005 from alleged injuries received in Garda custody. Terence was arrested with three others on suspicion of stealing a car and taken to Store St Garda station. Two hours later he was found unconscious in his cell. On the 13th May 2007 a jury at the coroners court returned a verdict of death by suicide [1].
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[edit] Circumstances leading up to his death
Garda Tadhg O’Leary, from Fitzgibbon Street Garda station, said gardaí received a phone call from a woman on that day to report a car being brought into a back yard at Sean O’Casey Avenue and being covered with a sheet. Garda O’Leary had a check run on the black Toyota Yaris, and the owner in Donnybrook confirmed it had been stolen. He later spotted four young men in the car. “Terrence Wheelock, who was known to me, jumped from the passenger seat,” he said. “All four youths ran from the car into the back door of the house.” Gardaí confirmed all four were surrounded in the square at the front of the house by officers and gave themselves up shortly after midday. The inquest heard Mr Wheelock and another man were brought to Store Street Garda station. At that point, Garda O’Leary said he discovered two bench warrants were in existence for Mr Wheelock and he would have to be held to appear before the District Court. “At the time of the arrest of the youths they were caught red-handed,” he said.[1]
[edit] Death
[edit] Garda View
The Garda Siochana stated that Terence committed suicide while in his cell, hanging himself with a ligature which was secured to a fixture which is countersunk into the wall. Kieran Bisset, a fire brigade member, said a number of gardaí were performing CPR on the unconscious man when they were called after 2.30pm.
“There was an obvious ligature mark around the front of his neck,” he said, adding it was deep and previous experience would indicate it was from a cord or a shoelace.[2]
[edit] Family View
The idea that Terence had hanged himself is one which has been contested by his family. According to his brother Larry, Terrance was a healthy, happy-go-lucky young man with no history of self-harm and for him to have committed suicide would have been entirely out of character. His family believe that Terence died as a result of injuries received from the gardaí while in custody.
According to Larry Wheelock, Terrances' brother, Terrence was in fact a victim of police brutality and high-ranking members of the force have actively attempted to cover up what really happened. [2]
[edit] Inconsistencies and Matters Arising
- The Dublin City Coroner's Court earlier heard that blood stains on clothing belonging to Mr Wheelock were consistent with medical intervention.[3]
- Dr Maureen Smith from the Forensic Science Laboratory told the court she was unable to generate a DNA profile from the tissue sample she was given from the post mortem. Using blood samples, she determined that blood found on Mr Wheelock's t-shirt was not his blood, but most likely that of a close relative, a matter she said that would normally be further investigated.[4]
- As per normal procedure Terence should have been checked in his ‘suicide proof’ cell on a regular basis. According to the station records ten minutes before he was found unconscious his cell was inspected and it was believed that he was asleep. The Gardaí claim that in the next ten minutes he woke up, broke away the concrete around a light switch which was about two and a half feet off the ground and then hanged himself. The ambulance was called about 9 minutes after Terence was supposedly found in his cell. There is no explanation over what caused this delay. Likewise no one has explained why when the ambulance arrived Terence was found in a hall close to the main desk of the station and not in his cell.
- Gardaí called to the Wheelock house, informed Terence’s mother Esther that her son had hanged himself and was in the southside St. James’ Hospital. These Gardaí then drove her to St. James’. They claimed not to know the direction to get there and Esther actually had to direct them. Terence had actually been brought to the much closer Mater Hospital. By the time his family had found this out and arrived in the Mater his clothing had been taken away by Gardaí.
- The Garda press statement mentioned that there was no evidence of any bruising on Terence’s body which is completely contradicted by his family who saw him in the hospital, and by hospital photographs.
- When the family managed to get hold of the custody records the names of the arresting Gardaí had been removed. The Wheelock family have made many attempts to recover Terence’s clothes for independent forensic examination. These attempts have been continually rebuffed by the Dept of Justice.
- The family’s calls for an independent investigation have been refused and instead of this the garda commissioner has appointed Detective Superintendent Oliver Hanley from Dun Laoghaire Garda Station to look into the events around Terence’s death. Hanley served in Store Street station for over fifteen years and as the family have pointed out this makes him far from independent. [3]
[edit] Garda Intimidation
According to the family, they have also been subject to intimidation and even attacks from the Gardaí because of their campaign for an investigation.
- On the May 17th 2006, Larry, Terence's brother was distributing leaflets about their family's campaign. Accourding to him, he was approached by a guard who tore up the leaflets and then tried to arrest him. When members of the family questioned the reasons for his arrest they were attacked by other Gardaí. In minutes over 30 Gardaí were on the scene, some of whom ran into the Wheelock house assaulting Terence’s mother, his six months pregnant sister and terrifyong a two year old girl. In the days since this brutal attack the Gardaí have stationed people outside the Wheelock home in a blatant attempt at intimidation. [4]
- On July 3rd 2006, The Wheelock family moved from their home in Summerhill where they had lived for over twenty years. Larry Junior said "we couldn't stick it anymore, the Garda harassing us, it was getting worse and worse. Day after day they were using horses and dogs, and shining lights into the house, laughing and joking at all hours. They looked a sad lot. It was very upsetting for my mother and father. So that is why we decided to move. Hopefully they wont have another excuse at our new home." [5]
[edit] Demonstrations
There have been of large protests in favour of an independent inquiry on the death of Terence Wheelock, thanks to massive public support for the campaign in the North Inner City. They've taken place in many locations including Store Street Garda Station, Dáil Éireann, The Minister for Justice's office and Bertie Ahern's constituency office.
[edit] Current Activity
- His family have vowed to take their campaign for an independent inquiry to the Garda Ombudsman after they've expressed disappointment over the level of evidence permitted at the inquest of his death.
- On the June the 9th 2007, over 500 people took to the streets of the North Inner City calling for a full independent inquiry in to the suspicious death at store st garda station.They marched to store st where Elected Dáil members Tony Gregory, Joe Costello, MEP Mary Lou McDonald and WSM member Gregor Kerr backed the Wheelock families campaign for an independent inquiry and vowed their continued support.
