A protest calling for justice around the circumstances of Terence Wheelock's death will take place on Saturday, June 7, at 3pm at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin.

Organisers are urging the public to join the demonstration and support the Wheelock family’s campaign for a full independent inquiry into his death in Garda custody in 2005.

Terence Wheelock, who was born in Summerhill, North Dublin, was 20 years old when he was arrested and brought to Store Street Garda Station on June 2, 2005. A few hours later, he was found unconscious in his cell and taken to the Mater Hospital, where he remained in a coma before passing away three months later.

The official cause of death was recorded as suicide, but the Wheelock family have consistently rejected this, raising concerns about injuries observed on Wheelock's body and inconsistencies in Garda custody records. They have long campaigned for an independent public inquiry.

An instagram post from an account called @justice4terencewheelock, which organised the protest, said:

"Make it loud and clear to everyone that we need to fill the streets for Terence and his family. The louder the cry the better it will be… Justice must be done and Justice must be had because 20 years is too long to go without answers. BE THE VOICE FOR THE WHEELOCK FAMILY!"

 

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In 2010, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission found no evidence of mistreatment, but acknowledged “systemic failures” in custody procedures. The cell where Wheelock was found was renovated the day after the incident, before an independent examination could be carried out.

Speaking to the Dublin Inquirer, Terence’s brother Sammy Wheelock described the impact of the campaign and the family’s determination to continue. “I have no intention of walking away. Until my last breath, until I get to the truth.”

Saturday’s protest comes amid renewed efforts to raise public and political support, nearly 20 years after Wheelock's death.