Derry Daily
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Sport
  • Features
  • Courts
  • Business
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Jobs
Monday 7°CTuesday 10°C

Derry Daily Derry Daily Derry Daily

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Sport
  • Features
  • Courts
  • Business
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Jobs
CourtsDerry CityHealthNews

Shot Bloody Sunday mother ‘deserved it’, court hears

March 5, 2021

A widowed mother-of-14 shot on Bloody Sunday was verbally abused by British soldiers declaring she “deserved it”, the High Court has heard.

One British paratrooper allegedly said “let the ***** bleed to death” as Peggy Deery was being treated for her wounds.

Aged 38 at the time, Mrs Deery was the only woman to be shot in Derry in January 1972 during what became known as Bloody Sunday.

Her family is suing the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the injuries they claim contributed to her subsequent death from a heart attack in 1988.

Thirteen unarmed people were killed when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on a civil rights march. Another of those wounded on the day died later.

In 2010 the Saville Inquiry into the shootings confirmed the innocence of all of the victims.

Those findings led to David Cameron, the British Prime Minister at the time, issuing a public apology for the soldiers’ actions.

He described the killings as “unjustified and unjustifiable”.

Liability is accepted in legal actions taken against the MoD by those bereaved or injured.

Proceedings instead centre on the level of damages in each case, with more than £3 million in total paid out to date.

Opening the family’s case, Barry Macdonald QC said Mrs Deery was shot in the leg by a paratrooper who probably knew she posed no threat.

She was carried into a house on Chamberlain Street to be treated by members of the Knights of Malta.

Citing the Saville report, Mr Macdonald set out how soldiers entered the property and allegedly directed foul language at the widow, stating that she “deserved it” and declaring: “Let the ***** bleed to death.”

Mrs Deery, who lost her husband to cancer months before Bloody Sunday, was raising 14 children aged between eight months and 16 years old.

She spent four months in hospital, developed a chronic kidney disease and was effectively housebound for the rest of her life, the court heard.

Her oldest daughters had to assume responsibility for her care and the rest of the family.

“The upshot was that, at the age of 38, as a single parent with 14 young children, she was seriously incapacitated and remained so until her early death,” Mr Macdonald said.

“All the children were effectively deprived both of their mother’s care and of their own childhoods.

“They all had to leave school early so that they could share the responsibility for attending to her needs and the needs of the younger children.”

One daughter, Helen Deery, told the court how they carried out cooking and cleaning duties in a house with no central heating or washing machine.

“We had to do everything,” she said.

With no help allegedly provided by social services, on one occasion the family was actually fined for non-attendance at school.

Mr Macdonald argued there is now evidence that the renal complications and chronic kidney disease suffered by Mrs Deery contributed to her eventual death.

But David Ringland QC, for the MoD, contended that her heart problems were probably due to a heavy smoking habit of 40 cigarettes a day.

He took issue with the family’s case that she never inhaled.

“The death wasn’t renal failure, the death was a heart attack,” Mr Ringland insisted.

“I haven’t got the slightest idea what the effects on health are of someone who allegedly smokes very heavily, but doesn’t inhale.

“That’s a concept I have never experienced in my life, let alone in any court setting.”

The case continues.

Shot Bloody Sunday mother ‘deserved it’, court hears was last modified: March 6th, 2021 by cassoscoop

Tags:
Barry McDonald QCBloody SundayBritish paratroopersCHAMBERLAIN STREETCOURT HEARSDerry CityHELEN DEERYhigh courtKnights of MaltaShot Bloody Sunday mother 'deserved it'
[mashshare]

LEAVE A COMMENT

You may also like

Derry car stop nets police £1,200 cannabis...

16 hours ago

One further death, 89 more new cases...

18 hours ago

North’s lockdown restrictions to ease on April...

20 hours ago

Coronavirus: Over 1 million vaccinations administered in...

23 hours ago

Duffy: Progress expected on Culmore Greenway

23 hours ago

Foyle Search and Rescue assisted by new...

23 hours ago

Three more deaths, 146 new cases in...

2 days ago

Arranmore House Draw adds weekend getaway to...

2 days ago

Winless Derry City remain bottom of league

2 days ago

Maintenance and security arrangements agreed for Balliniska...

2 days ago

Keep in touch

Facebook Twitter Email

Features

  • DD Travel: Living like a local in Lixouri

    December 17, 2020
  • DD Travel: Kefalonia and her southern shores

    November 29, 2020
  • DD Travel: Kefalonia an Ionian discovery

    November 17, 2020
  • Lurgybrack Open Farm: The perfect place for family fun this Bank Holiday weekend

    July 10, 2019
  • DD Travel feature: Vibrant Verona

    May 2, 2019

Courts

  • ‘Stalking bill will finally tackle violence against women’

    April 6, 2021
  • Irish language group to challenge Executive in court

    April 1, 2021
  • Derry man jailed over vicious assault on pensioner

    April 1, 2021
  • ‘Knifeman’ charged over aggravated Derry house burglary

    March 30, 2021
  • Two Derry men in court after Gardai ‘assaulted’

    March 29, 2021

Donegal Daily

  • Man dropped trousers and slapped bare backside at Gardai

    14 minutes ago
  • Revealed: President Biden’s ancestors were from Donegal!

    11 hours ago
  • ‘Many reasons for hope’ says Dr Glynn after lowest number of Covid cases since December

    14 hours ago

Read More

  • News
  • Sport
  • Courts
  • Jobs
  • Features
  • Business
  • Politics

Information

  • Contact Us
  • About
  • Advertise WIth Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
Derry Daily

© 2021 Derry Daily. All rights reserved.


Back To Top