Names of ex-PSNI officer and dead child on bonfire condemned

Other names that featured on the bonfire included Sinn Féin MLA Pádraig Delargy and murdered loyalist paramilitary leader Billy Wright

There has been widespread condemnation after the names of a dead child and a former senior detective, who was shot and seriously injured, appeared on a bonfire in Londonderry.

The name of retired Det Ch Insp John Caldwell, who was shot in Omagh in February 2023, appeared on a placard placed on the bonfire in the Creggan area.

The name of Kyle Bonnes, who was 15 when he died in a drowning incident in Drumahoe, near Derry, in 2010, also appeared on the pyre.

DUP assembly member Gary Middleton described the offending sign with the names, which BBC News NI understands has since been removed, as "sickening".

DUP assembly member Gary Middleton described the placing of names on the bonfire as "sickening"

He said the placing of names, particularly of a dead child, caused "nothing but hurt".

Other names that have appeared on the same bonfire include what is understood to be a serving police officer; as well as Billy Wright, the founder of the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), who was murdered in 1997; and Sinn Féin assembly member Pádraig Delargy.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, Middleton said the placing of names or the burning of flags or emblems on any bonfire is "not acceptable," regardless of "where it comes from".

He added that these acts are carried out by "a small minority" and must be called out.

Det Ch Insp John Caldwell was shot and seriously injured in 2023

"Kyle died very tragically in a drowning incident 15 years ago when he was just 15 years old," Middleton told the programme on Wednesday.

"That was a very traumatic experience, not only for the Tullyally and Drumahoe communities, but for the wider community as a city - we know the hurt that it caused.

"When we see that name, alongside the other names of PSNI officers and MLAs as well, it is entirely wrong, and we need to move beyond this race to the bottom, trying to cause the maximum amount of hurt to one side of the community or another."

'Reprehensible action'

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, condemned the incident.

The federation described it as "a reprehensible action by people who are filled with hate and have nothing to offer the wider community".

The PSNI said it was aware of material, including drawings of cross-hairs and people's names, being placed on the bonfire.

Area Commander of Derry City & Strabane, Ch Supt Gillian Kearney, said: "The display of names with cross-hairs is an attempt to intimidate, which is unacceptable."

"While we are not the lead agency, we remain committed to working with our partners, including local councils and other public and statutory bodies, as well as community representatives, to address issues linked to bonfires."

The police said they would investigate all offences linked to the bonfire.

John Caldwell retired from the PSNI in December 2024 on health grounds after he was shot near a leisure centre in Omagh, where he had been coaching youth football.

Sinn Féin assembly member Pádraig Delargy's name also was placed on the bonfire

The bonfire in Creggan also carried a sign saying that the Sinn Féin assembly member Pádraig Delargy was "not welcome".

In a statement, a Sinn Féin spokesperson said "threats against any elected representatives or anyone are anti-democratic and unacceptable".

Pádraig Delargy had described some bonfires in the city as "anti-community".

Delargy had also previously condemned the burning of Irish tricolours on a bonfire in the Fountain estate in Derry at the weekend.

In a statement, SDLP assembly member Mark H Durkan said: "Burning the names of police officers, local politicians and especially a young person who tragically lost their life, has nothing to do with cultural celebration and I acknowledge and welcome that some of the most egregious signs appear to have been removed overnight."

Why are bonfires being lit?

Bonfires on 15 August are traditional in some nationalist parts of Northern Ireland to mark the Catholic Feast of the Assumption.

Some bonfires are also lit in August to commemorate the introduction of internment without trial of republican suspects during the Troubles, which was introduced by the UK Government in 1971.