The family of the late terence wheelock were attacked on wedensday evening attacked by up to a dozen gardai from local stations fitzgibbon st and store st. They were attacked in there home, mother and father were assaulted, a pregnant sister was hospitalised in the rotunda and a 10 yrold girl a neighbour were assaulted and taken to temple st.

As gardai rampaged through the house there were scenes of chaos inside and outside the house as neighbours looked on in disbelief.

The incident leading up to this assault on the home, occured when a younger brother was handing out leaflets publicizing an up coming peaceful protest on the first anniversary of terence's death he died as a result of injuries sustained in garda custody on the 2/6/05 at store st garda station nth
innercity dublin. www.justice4terencewheelock.comThe family have been seeking a full independent public enqiuiry for the last year they have staged peaceful and dignified protests through out the year.

A garda mulqueen of fizgibbon st garda station involved in the arrest of terence wheelock a file had been sent to the D.P.P
The garda mulqueen who had been recently posted outside the wheelock home approached terence's younger brother for handing out leaflets by witness accounts he tore up the leaflets. telling him to move from the area or he would be charged with liotering, even though he was outside his own home sean o'casey ave summerhill. The altercation brought his mother to the door who to calm things told the youth to come inside the garda followed him in to the garden. it was then things escalated the garda radioed for assistance up to foru garda cars arrived and mayhem insued as gardai weilding batons stormed through the house women and children were screaming.
people gathered outside in large numbers in disbelief a number of youths recorded the scenes on camera phones, these were later seized by family solicitor. as evidence.
local T.ds joe costelloe and tony gregory met senior gardai about ongoing garda intimidation.
there are betwenn 2 to 8 garda a night posted outside the wheelock home since the incident changing shifts and shiming lights in to the house during the night. situation remains volatile.

The wheelock family are holding a peaceful protest march on sat 3/6/06
This is to high light terence's arrest and detention in store st garda station on the 2/6/05 all welcome in a peaceful and dignified march convene are lady of lourdes church sean mc dermot st 11pm sat 3/6/06

Thank you..  

Socialist Worker 15.04.2006 - 31.04.2005 #257

How Did Terence Wheelock Die In Store St Garda Station?

Terence Wheelock loved life. He was a bright, lively intelligent young man of twenty years of age who grew up in the Summerhill area of Dublin. In his last three months when he was lying in a coma in the Mater hospital, over 200 people visited the hospital, hoping he would get better. Tragically, he never made it to his twenty-first birthday.

The events that led to the ending of this young life started on Tuesday 2nd June, 2005 at 12. 10pm when Terence along was arrested along with three others under the Road Traffic Act. They were under suspicion of a stealing a car that had been taken the night before and was parked three doors away from his family home.

The arrest took place amidst the sight of considerable commotion. The arrival of a number of police cars into the densely populated area of the north inner city brought several people out to their doors. What they witnessed was shocking: Terence Wheelock was roughed up in broad day light by Gardai.

It was not an entirely unusual occurrence. The week before his arrest, Terence Wheelock had another altercation with Garda that led to him going to the Mater with a damaged arm.

This, then, was the way that Terence found himself being transported to Store St Gardai station in the middle of the day on 2nd June. What occurred in the next three hours is subject to major dispute.

The Gardai claim that Terence was placed in a cell at 12.25 and that everything was done as it should be.

Unusually, however, they say that Terence went to sleep in the middle of the day and that they simply checked his cell on five occasions between that time and 2.40 pm.

At 2.40, however, a Garda on duty entered the cell and found him unconscious. It is then claimed that Terence removed concrete from a cell wall and gained access to a piece of metal from which he hung himself.

However, there are some important anomalies in the Garda version of events.

It appears that it took another ten minutes after his sighting at 2.40pm to summon an ambulance. When the ambulance arrived, the emergency crew were not given access to the cell but to a different part of the police station where they found Terence. Yet the most basic advice for dealing with such emergency situations is that the patient should not be moved.

The solicitor for the Wheelock family got a court order to preserve the cell for forensic examination. But in breach of that order, the cell was renovated and surgically cleaned of all forensic evidence. Why Gardai would take this step after a serious injury occurred in their station has never been adequately explained.

Terence's mother was notified of the incident by crude call, which informed her that her son had hung himself. She was then taken on a journey to James hospital, apparently to visit her son. Rather oddly, she was asked by the Garda for directions to that hospital.

Even more strangely, it transpired that Terence had never been sent to James hospital, which is on the western side the city, but rather to the local hospital on the northside, the Mater. The effect of this unnecessary journey was to disorientate a family member and to loose about one hour of valuable time.

Meanwhile at the Mater hospital, Terence's clothes were being removed and were then taken away by the Gardai. To this day, these clothes have not been returned to the family who want to carry out an independent forensic examination.

It is at this point that a dreadful cover-up appears to being put in place – and the moves do not involve just the local Store St police but rather the highest level of the Department of Justice.

The quality of forensic material is directly related to the time it takes to get at the evidence and the way the evidence is stored. It is clearly in the direct interest of the Wheelock family to get the forensic examination concluded as soon as possible. But they have met with a wall of official obstruction, being orchestrated by the Dept of Justice.

There have been a number of Coroner Court hearings where the issues of the clothes has come up. During one of them, at the last minute, the state agreed to release the clothes to an independent forensic scientist but wanted the scientist brought over to Ireland. When the family replied that this would cause them extra expense, the Minister for Justice said he would give them financial assistance with this. But just before the last Coroner's Court on April 6th, McDowell announced that the money would, in effect, not be forthcoming.

This official game playing and obstruction is in itself a shocking way to behave to a family who have lost a loved one. But the question is why is the Irish state behaving in this callous manner. Why have a grieving family not been able to recover the clothes of their dead son to this very day?

The only logical explanation is that a cover up has been put in place.

Take, for example, the evidence from Terence's body. Extensive bruising was found but there were no marks on his hand. If he is supposed to have ripped out concrete from his cell wall, why were there no such marks?

There is an extensive mark from the left ear to the Adam's apple – but if he had hung himself then such a mark would have gone underneath the whole neck.

There was also severe swelling on the back of the brain, which is consistent with receiving a severe blow. There is also a two and a half inch laceration on the spine and piece of metal in his eye. How could all this be consistent with a suicide attempt?

Other disturbing questions arise about the custody record.

Normally, when anyone is taken into custody there is supposed to be a record kept about the arresting Gardai. But in Terence's case, the record appears to have been altered and the names of two ban Garda have been entered. Yet according to witnesses, these were not the Garda who arrested Terence.

The Director of Public Prosecution has decided that no charges will be brought against any Garda in relation to Terence's death. He had appointed Detective Oliver Hanley from Dun Laoghaire Gardai Station to investigate the death.

The Wheelock family, however, are not satisfied with this procedure. Garda Hanley worked for fifteen years in the same Store St station where these events occurred. They also claim that he was involved in the investigating every death in a Dublin Garda station in recent years – and no charge has ever been brought against a Garda.

The family are instead demanding a fully independent inquiry into the death and have launched a major campaign. They organised a several hundred strong march through the area and have gathered thousands of petitions on O Connell St.

They also held a special protest outside the Dail on the occasion of what would be Terence's 21st birthday.

They know that our rulers typically adopt a tactic of brazening out scandals in the hope that official obstruction and tiredness can wear people down so that only a small bitter taste is left – and nothing is done.

The Wheelock family will have none of this. They have strong roots in Dublin's north inner city and have a sharp and clear understanding of how social class works.

They are fighting for the dignity of their own family – but also for the wider community of the area that puts up with a lot of abuse from rogue elements within the police. They deserve our full support.
Here`s the Police report..

Arrest and detention of Terence Wheelock at Store Street Garda Station on the 2nd June, 2005.

The above incident has created a huge amount of media interest and in many cases this coverage is based on versions which are not factually correct.

Terence Wheelock, along with three others, were arrested at 12.10pm on the 2nd June, 2005, for an offence under Section 112, Road Traffic Acts (Unauthorised taking of a vehicle).

The vehicle, which is a disabled driver vehicle, had been stolen sometime earlier in the Donnybrook area. When recovered, some €5,500 of damage had been done to the car, including the destruction of a mechanical lift required for the driver to access the vehicle. The lift was recovered in the home of one of those arrested. The three others involved in this incident were charged with offences relating to the matter, two of whom appeared in Court on the 16th June, 2005. The other person failed to attend and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Two of those arrested were detained at Mountjoy Garda Station, while Terence and one other were detained at Store Street Garda Station arriving there at 12.20pm. He was placed in a cell at 12.25pm and between that time and 2.40pm he was checked in his cell on five occasions. On each visit all was found to be in order.

At 2.40pm on checking the cell, Terence was not visible through the inspection hatch. The Garda on duty entered the cell and found Terence unconscious and lying against a side wall with a ligature tied around his neck. The ligature was secured to a fixture which is counter sunk into the wall.

With the assistance of other Gardai, Terence was lifted from this position and the ligature removed from around his neck. One officer immediately commenced mouth to mouth resuscitation and others commenced CPR. An ambulance was summoned at 2.44pm and Terence was removed to the Mater Hospital at 2.52pm. by Dublin Fire Brigade.

Some media reports refer to extensive bruising on Terence's body. The Gardai see no reason for this nor were they noticed by the Gardai or DFB personnel who attended the incident.

Gardai cannot access a person's medical records without their express permission or that of their next of kin. This permission has not been forthcoming to date.

The Commissioner has appointed Detective Superintendent Oliver Hanley, Dun Laoghaire Garda Station, to examine the circumstances surrounding this incident and pending the outcome of his enquiries, it would be unwise for An Garda Siochana to comment further in the matter.

KEVIN DONOHOE
SUPERINTENDENT
GARDA PRESS & PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER .                            PLease Support The Families Cause By Comming to Our Gig !!!.. Lugh23