Family of Tobias Molloy request fresh inquest from Attorney General


The family of Tobias Molloy who was shot dead by a British soldier on the Lifford Road, Strabane in 1972, have requested a fresh inquest into his death from the Attorney General of Ireland.
The 18 year old, was struck by a rubber bullet at the ‘Camel’s Hump’ checkpoint and was taken to Lifford Hospital where he was declared dead.
An inquest was held into his death in July 1972 in Lifford, by the Deputy Coroner for East Donegal, at Lifford Hospital, six days after the incident. There was no inquest held in Northern Ireland at the time.
An application was made by the Molloy family to the Attorney General in Northern Ireland and he determined in 2019 that it was ‘less likely that Mr Molloy died in Northern Ireland than he died in Ireland’ and therefore could not grant a fresh inquest.
Pádraig Ó Muirigh of the Pat Finucane Centre says;
‘The original inquest proceeded in the absence of an investigation into the death of Mr Molloy by An Garda Siochána or the RUC and holding the inquest six days after his death meant there was not a sufficient amount of time for an investigation to be properly conducted.’
He confirmed that new evidence has been lodged with the Attorney General to support the application.

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