PPS 'actively considering' identifying soldier who shot Derry man

Marking the 54th anniversary of his uncle’s murder by a British soldier, Billy Mc Greanery’s nephew said while there was breath in his body he would seek justice for his much-loved family member and namesake.

Speaking to The Derry News, Billy said he thought about his uncle’s death every single day and the devastating impact it had on his whole family.

“In May 2024, the PPS undertook what was supposed to be a six-week review into its decision not to prosecute ‘Soldier A’ who admitted killing Billy. 16 months on and the review shows no signs of being completed,” said Billy.

“We have been told the PPS is unable to formally identify ‘Soldier A’ who was labelled through a cipher file which went missing between 2010 and 2012, after the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) had used it to identify him.

“We asked the PPS if it could use his service record to identify ‘Soldier A’ with a view to prosecution. We received a letter last week saying the PPS was giving this suggestion ‘active consideration’.

“It is like a game of chess they are playing only they are playing with everybody’s lives,” said Billy, who added, “This can’t go on forever and it is soul destroying”.

Billy McGreanery and Marjorie Roddy, nephew and niece of Billy McGreanery.

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 four hours later, in the early hours of September 15.

In June 2011, the HET report into Mr McGreanery’s death found he “was not carrying a firearm and he posed no threat to the soldiers”.

In interviews with HET, ‘Soldier A’ denied he had shot Mr McGreanery in revenge for the earlier murder of a British soldier and insisted it had been a spur of the moment response to a perceived threat.

The report also revealed that on November 8, 1971, the local RUC commander had recommended the soldier who shot him be charged with murder.

“This was prevented by the then Attorney General Sir Basil Kelly, who ruled ‘no soldier could do wrong whilst performing his duty’, said Billy.

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“In September 2011, we received a written apology from the British Army’s Chief of General Staff at the Ministry of Defense, Sir Peter Wall, and in April 2013 we received a public apology on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and British Government from the Minister for Armed Forces, Andrew Robathan, in Westminster,” he added.

The McGreanery family then applied to the Attorney General for a fresh inquest into Billy’s death.

In 2017 the Attorney General referred the case to the PPS, which directed the PSNI’s Legacy Investigation Branch (LIB) to carry out a number of enquiries. LIB undertook a review of the case before commencing a full investigation. It interviewed ‘Soldier A’ under caution in September 2021.

In June 2022, a file was submitted to the PPS by LIB and on April 29, 2024, it directed ‘no prosecution against ‘Soldier A' - the decision on which the PPS review is ongoing.

Mr McGreanery said he would never give up.

“The world is a big mad place at the minute, so the killing of my uncle Billy 54 years ago today might seem insignificant but not to us,” he added. “But it is not only that. This has happened to my family. It has happened to various other families in the North and it could happen to families in the future, that is what I am trying to prevent.

“Although Billy’s murder took place 54 years ago, the injustice is still taking place today.”