Gardai to review investigation into death of republican activist

Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy has ordered an internal investigation following allegations that gardaí failed to fully investigate the death in Donegal in 2003 of Derry academic and well known republican figure Mary Reid.

Mr Conroy has ordered the inquiry to be carried out under the direction of Det Chief Supt Noel White, the head of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Ms Reid (49) was found dead on a beach at the Isle of Doagh, Co Donegal, on January 29th, 2003. An inquest two years ago into her death concluded she died as a result of drowning.

However, her partner Terence Robinson and her family expressed doubts at the time relating to the Garda investigation into the death. They believe the investigation was not comprehensive enough.

After the inquest their solicitor Robert Eager issued a statement saying the family had "some doubts about the circumstances of her death" and the fact that none of her missing clothes were found. She was naked from the waist up when she was found.

He added that the family was "particularly unhappy about the lack of a comprehensive forensic examination of Ms Reid's car".

An initial examination of her car at the scene revealed nothing. However, the boot of the vehicle was never examined.

Ms Reid's family and partner were also disappointed that the State Pathologist was not called to the scene to carry out a forensic postmortem.

They have campaigned for an inquiry to examine the concerns they have raised.

In August the dead woman's brother, Joseph Reid, and sister, Anne Ward, brought their campaign to the Irish Embassy in London, where they met gardaí. At the time the family said they wanted to meet gardaí in the UK because Ms Reid had lived there and because gardaí had agreed to meet the family there.

At the inquest in 2003, Tommy McCourt, who worked with Ms Reid, said she was a very political person and was very annoyed about the US going into Iraq. One night shortly before her death, he recalled, she had arrived at his home barefoot. They spoke but the conversation did not make much sense and she walked home again, he said.

The Department of Justice said that while a review of the original investigation was being conducted under Det Chief Supt White, the Garda investigation into the death had not been reopened.

Ms Reid was one of three people caught up in the "Irish of Vincennes" case in France in August 1982. She was arrested at an apartment in Vincennes with Stephen King and Michael Plunkett on terrorism charges.

All three had links with the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) and it was alleged that they were part of an Irish-Palestinian terrorist cell. The arrests were heralded in France as one of the first successes of the newly-formed elite anti-terrorist unit.

However, it later emerged that the gendarmerie had planted the guns and explosives in the apartment. All three Irish citizens were cleared of the charges on October 5th, 1983, after spending nine months in prison.

Ms Reid was editor of The Starry Plough, the IRSP's newspaper, for several years. She returned to Ireland from France in 1987 and became involved in community work.

At the time of her death she had been teaching English to GCSE students, through the Community Resource Centre in Rosemount, Derry.