Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
William Fleming (19) from the Waterside area of Derry and Danny Doherty (23) from Creggan who were shot dead by the SAS in the grounds of Gransha Hospital.
The inquest into the deaths of two Derry men shot dead by the SAS in disputed circumstances in the grounds of Gransha Hospital on December 6 1984 has been adjourned due to the failure of the British Ministry of Defence to comply with their public interest immunity obligations.
The hearing into the deaths of William Fleming (19) from the Waterside and Danny Doherty (23) from Creggan was scheduled to start this morning in Banbridge and had been due to last 6 weeks.
Both men died when they were shot by the SAS on the morning of December 6 1984.
However, at the start of the proceedings the Coroner, Judge Ian Huddleston, was told that the hearing could not proceed as the Ministry of Defence had not completed their public interest immunity papers.
Peter Coll KC for the MOD said his client 'extremely regretted and sincerely apologised to all the participants for the delay in completing the PII process.'
He said there was 'no intention' on behalf of the MOD to fail to meet deadlines but it had proved 'impossible to do so.'
The barrister said that there was 'no thumbing of the nose at the court.'
Judge Huddleston said that the lessons to be learned where not only for this inquest but for all inquests and there could be no repeat.
The Coroner said that all the issues that had arisen were avoidable and should not have been allowed to develop.
Mr Coll told the hearing that the Minister of Defence had signed off on a PII certificate over the weekend and that would be with the court presently and the papers could be disseminated 'within days.'
The hearing was told that the inquest proper should begin on Thursday week with the first civilian witnesses being called.
The hearing was also told by Mark Mulholland KC who represents some of the soldiers involved that a psychiatric report on Soldier A, described previously as 'a pivitable witness', indicated there was a suicide risk.
The barrister said a full report would be available to all the interested parties next week.
The hearing was adjourned for two days of closed PII hearings on Monday and Tuesday next.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
