ON WEDNESDAY 26 June 1991, a 28 year-old single mother of two young children, Geraldine O'Connor awoke from her sleep at 6am in the bedroom of her West Belfast home to find several police and army personnel standing over her bed. Her sister, long-lime activist FRANCIS DUFFY wrote this account based on interview notes from Geraldine's solicitor. THEY TOLD her she was being arrested under Section 14 of the Prevention of TerNo time was given for Geraldine to make arrangements for the care of her children who were by this time upset and crying The forces then began their search of the house which later, the police admitted, uncovered absolutely notuns of a tит2007028 ture.
Meanwhile, Geraldine was taken to the infamous interrogation centre at Castlereagh Barracks in East Belfast.
Throughout her seven days at Castlereagh she was interviewed 49 times and assaulted during 41. At Musgrove Street station she was charged with anowins ine ikA to use her house to plan attacks on the Geraldine was repeatedly slapped, punched in stomach, and sexually in dimidated. She was threatened one of her fingers was already fractured at the time, the police forcibly straightened it out to take fingerprints. . By the end of the second day the plaster of paris on her arm had been cracked open by officers bang ing her arm against a table.
On the third dav. alter an Exhad been other making any complaint: as the papers would be flushed down the toilet. She was also told that her children would be taken into care and she would never see them again. Verbal, Timidation and phystated continued throughout her detention.
On Wednesday 3 July, she appeared at Belfast Magistrate Court her lawyer pointed out that there was not a singleshred of evidence against her.
A police officer agreed that Amnesty International issued an "Urgent Action' appeal at the end of August 1991 on the case of 17 rear old Damien Austin, a Catholic irom Belfast. The son of a local Sinn Fein councillor, he had been one of 18 young people held in Castiereagh in May after the kiling of an RUC officer.
During his first detention in May ho slapped, spar upon, burned on the ace with a lighted cigarette. his repeatedly puled down, a lghter beld to his pubic hair. , and death threats were made soains him. Damon was also regularly harassed by the police in the period follwing his release and before his second arrest in August she had made no written or verbal admissions while in custody for seven days. He conceded that the only evidence against her was based on fibres alleged. ly connecung a man suspecies of involvement with a bombwith Geraldine's living room. The resident magistrate said he believed the evidence was "just marginal enough' sustain the Director of Public Prosecution's application for a remand and bail was refused. Geraldine was taken Magaberry Prison where she was strip-searched on arrival.
The next day her lawyers apum the magistrate's decision. they had no jurisdiction to interfere with the decision. However, anapplication for bail was sucessitil Later that day after much toing and fro-ing between the High Court and Magistrates by lawyers and members of her family, she was eventually Magaberry Frion, out not perore belny again subjected to a strip search. She was released on bail of €100 with a surety of 6100 and ordered to report to one of two named policestations at the same time twice a week.
custody and following the OUTE television, radio and reports linked Geraldine with serious bomb incidents, her name and address was treely pubisnea. Two daysaftershe was released Ulster Freedom on bail, the Fighters (UFF), an extreme loyalist terror group, made an unsuccessful assassination attempt on her life.
It was pure chance that she children man kicked down the front door of her house at tam. She was later told by the police that a threat had been made by the During his second detention in Castereagh Damien was regularly unched in the stomach, throat, or One officer placed his boots between Damion's legs and applied pressure neck was held so tightly in an armlock that ho was choking and nearly Other Castlereagh cases incladed in the Amnesty report are: Liam Coogan, aged 18: Mark Prior aged 19: James M-Cabe, aged 19: Kevin Mulholland, aged 17:1 Ann Maguire; Monica Boyle; Eamonn MaPhilips.
There will te many hundreds UFF to the BBC's Belfast newsroom.