'Everybody wants justice for Mary Boyle, but that is nowhere near as simple as is portrayed in a fevered social media campaign'

EVERYBODY knows who murdered Mary Boyle. Everybody knows there was a cover-up of the killing of the six-year-old in March 1977. Everybody knows that the mainstream media is complicit in this cover-up. Everybody knows.

For anybody who has dipped into social media over the last six months, the above statements are received wisdom. The case of Mary Boyle has been highlighted in a campaign led by Mary’s twin, Ann Doherty, and the journalist Gemma O’Doherty. (To avoid confusion, the two women will be referred to here by their first names.)

Gemma had written and presented a documentary, Mary Boyle — The Untold Story, which has received tens of thousands of viewings on YouTube.