Troubles legacy: Stephen Geddis 1975 killing unjustified, inquest finds
- Published
Stephen Geddis (left) pictured alongside his brother Kieran Geddis
An inquest has found that a British soldier was unjustified in firing a plastic bullet that killed a schoolboy.
Stephen Geddis, who was 10-years-old, died after being hit in the head in the Divis area of Belfast in August 1975.
The schoolboy became the first, and the youngest, person to die after being hit by a plastic bullet.
Initially, soldiers claimed they had fired on children who were throwing stones in the area.
The coroner found that the Ministry of Defence bears "significant responsibility" because it did not inform soldiers on the lethality of plastic bullets ricocheting off the ground.
The government eventually paid compensation to the family.
Speaking outside Laganside Courts, Stephen's three brothers described him as a "quiet, timid child " and said it was a "great relief" to hear today's findings.
Jim Geddis said: "Finally it's acknowledged that he was an innocent child, in his own neighbourhood, in his own play area, that was shot by a lethal weapon and killed.
"It's mind boggling how they got away with those sorts of inquests 46 years ago. I would be ashamed to have been part of the legal system back then.
"It won't bring him back but his memory has taken on a new meaning."
Kieran, Joseph and Jim Geddis pictured outside Laganside Courts in Belfast
'Posed no threat'
On Tuesday, a coroner concluded that the decision to fire the plastic bullet was not justified or justifiable.
He found that the youth had been shot by a soldier, referred to as SGM15, but that he did not believe the soldier fired the round with the aim of causing serious injury or death.
Stephen Geddis died after a plastic bullet was fired into the ground before ricocheting and hitting him on the head.
Mr McGurgan found that "immediately prior to the discharge of the baton round, Stephen Geddis was in the courtyard with some of his friends and posed no threat to the soldiers".
"Though I am critical of SGM15 in deciding to discharge the baton round, I tend to the view that it is more likely that SGM15 discharged the baton round in accordance with the rules of engagement at the time which only permitted a direct strike of a target in very limited circumstances," he said.
The coroner acknowledged that SGM15 was a teenager at the time of the shooting, that his patrol had just come under a sustained attack and that "he may well have been hyped up by the events."
"I find that SGM15 probably failed to appreciate fully the lethality of employing such a technique because the Ministry of Defence had failed to tell its soldiers of information that it had as to the lethality of employing such a technique.
"The failure to instruct soldiers properly on this issue prior to August 1975 is a matter about which the Ministry of Defence, in my opinion, bears significant responsibility in the context of Stephen Geddis's death."
The coroner found the MoD was in possession of material that said plastic bullets should not be used against children and that they should be aimed at a body, not the ground.
He added: "Despite this advice, the MoD maintained the baton round was to be ricocheted.
"The change to the rules of engagement in December 1975 was at least in part due to the death of Stephen Geddis."
'Other families won't have that opportunity'
This inquest, the second into Stephen's death, was ordered by the attorney general in 2014.
It had been conducted as part of the five-year legacy inquest plan.
Kieran Geddis, Stephen's brother, said there were "mixed emotions" as their father, who had always maintained Stephen's innocence, was not alive to witness today's events.
"Our mother is very old now, but she will be glad to hear that as well. She's a very private woman and we're a very private family,
"She always grieves and always misses Stephen, she talks about him to us and she's very sad but I'm sure she'll be delighted to hear that this is now the truth," he said.
Mr Geddis criticised controversial legislation aimed at ending Troubles legacy prosecutions.
"It's been a long road, we actually thought we'd never get here today. Other families like ourselves never get the opportunity to do this.
"Other families won't have that opportunity, that's a sad reflection on today's government."
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- Published17 May 2022
