Billy McGreanery killing: PPS Soldier A prosecution decision today

A Derry family will find out this morning if the British soldier who shot dead their uncle will face prosecution. 

Billy McGreanery (41) was shot by a member of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards at the junction of Eastway, Lonemoor Road and Westland Street in Derry, on the evening of September 14, 1971. He underwent surgery at Altnagelvin Hospital but died in the early hours of September 15.  

In September past, on the 54th anniversary of McGreanery’s murder, his nephew and namesake, Billy McGreanery said, in May 2024 the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) had undertaken what was supposed to be a six-week review into its decision not to prosecute Soldier A who had admitted killing Mr McGreanery.

18 months later, on Friday morning past, Mr McGreanery received an email from the PPS which said: “I am writing to advise you that the decision letter in this matter [William McGreanery] will issue by way of email on Monday, December 8 at 9.30am. I have also advised your solicitor, Gary Duffy.”

Marjorie Roddy and Billy McGreanery whose Uncle Billy was shot dead in Derry in 1971.

Speaking to The Derry News, Billy McGreanery said he and his sister, Marjorie Roddy, Mr McGreanery’s niece, were glad the PPS had made a decision and it was going to be made public because the PPS’s “procrastination is holding me back from taking the last possible step that I can take for my Uncle Billy and that is going for a new inquest”.

“I have been granted a new inquest but I could not request that to be put into operation until the PPS took the decision whether or not to prosecute Soldier A,” he added.

“There was a year and a half wasted. In addition, there is a backlog of inquests. I will be put into a queue for an inquest and the legislation is changing next year.

“I asked the question at one stage if the PPS was ‘playing for time’ here,” said Mr McGreanery, who added the family knew very little about Soldier A.

“He revealed some information about himself, not under caution, to the PSNI’s Historical Enquiries Team (HET), which was passed on to us,” said Mr McGreanery. 

“He said he realised he had made a mistake but in the same circumstances he would do exactly the same thing again,” he added. 

“However subsequently, when he was officially interviewed under caution by the PSNI’s Legacy Investigation Branch (LIB), on my Uncle Billy’s 50th anniversary, Soldier A did a five and a half hour, no comment interview.

“If I shot somebody dead, I would like to think I wouldn’t make that same mistake again,” said Mr McGreanery.

He added: “My family was later contacted by another member of the British Army, whose name we know and who made a statement to the PSNI’s LIB, members of which interviewed him in England.

“In that statement he said, Soldier B - a Royal Artillery soldier - who was in the sangar along with Soldier A, said he [Soldier A] had said, ‘The next person around that corner is going to get shot’. 

“Interestingly, Soldier B never backed Soldier A up, no matter what Soldier A, the shooter said.

“Our family was later told the PPS was unable to formally identify Soldier A who las labelled through a cipher file, which went missing between 2010 and 2012, after the HET had used it to identify Soldier A. So, they retained the cipher file for nigh on 40 years, over 40 years, but when it was really needed, they lost it,” said Mr McGreanery.

While waiting on confirmation from the PPS on whether or not it was going to prosecute Soldier A, Mr McGreanery said he would want him charged with murder.

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He explained: “No matter how lenient you want to be, the man took another man’s life. 

“My Uncle Billy’s death destroyed our family. It destroyed my father. It broke his heart. My father died two years and four months after his brother. He had already lost my mother, his wife, who died of leukaemia at the age of 30,” he added.

“And it was all down to the denial of justice that he had fought hard for. He felt as if he had let down his brother and his mother. That one bullet killed two men, my Uncle Billy and my father. The bullet that killed my father never pierced his skin. 

“I will have to accept whatever decision the PPS makes on Monday. There is nothing I can do about that. The only recourse I have now is an inquest. 

“If it is a ‘yes’ my job is done and I will let the justice system take care of him. I know he will not be dealt with harshly at all but I will have done what I set out to do and get him charged.

“It has been a very long road. Hopefully it will come good.”