THE IRA HAS admitted responsibility for the death of a nine-year-old Derry schoolboy in 1973 – a crime that they initially attempted to blame on the British military.

Gordon Gallagher had been playing in the garden of his family home in Creggan with his younger brother when he tripped on a bomb that had been left there. It exploded, killing him.

At the time, the IRA denied responsibility – saying that they had left the device in the garden but that there had been no detonator on it, reports the BBC. The group claimed that the British military must have come back and placed a detonator on the bomb – a suggestion that was dismissed as “ridiculous” by Gordon’s father, Billy Gallagher.

The Gallagher family called on deputy first Minister Martin McGuinness to find out the truth about what happened to their son.

A statement, released indirectly this week, said:

Republicans fully accept their responsibility for the death of Gordon and apologise to the parents and family of Gordon Gallagher for the pain and grief caused.

Republicans remain truly remorseful and profoundly sorry for the circumstances that led to Gordon’s death.

Billy Gallagher said he accepted that the IRA had been responsible for his child’s death “even though (the statement) came through a third party and they didn’t speak to me directly,” reports the Guardian.

The statement explained that the IRA had anonymously informed the British Army that a bomb had been placed at the location. Following a saturation of the area by British troops, the IRA believed the device had been found and made safe.

The IRA felt that if they had moved back to retrieve the device, given that the British army now heavily saturated the area, they would be captured or shot. The following morning, young Gordon went out to play in his garden and accidentally triggered the explosive device.