A House That Vanished

A Series of Clues

Neville tried in vain to get a solicitor to take his case on, but none would. He asked the police to help, but when a detective visited the island, he too met with a wall of silence. A judge would later say, “The absence of statements from the many inhabitants regarding what should have been obvious to all is significant.”

Neville Presho leaving court in 2009 (photographer: Trevor McBride)

The reason Neville had returned to the island in the first place was a letter from the local council warning this house had been damaged by a storm, but an engineer’s report found that the house was most likely brought down by mechanical means. A builder who worked on the island alleged he had been offered money to demolish the house, but had refused. There were rumours that the house had been destroyed in an arson attack, but Neville could not find any proof.

A Chance Encounter

Nine years after discovering his house had vanished, Neville was once again on the ferry to Tory Island when he met a journalist called Anton McCabe. Anton was a regular visitor to Tory and a fluent Irish speaker. He had picked up some new information from the islanders and was able to tell Neville a little more about had happened to his house. Anton also put Neville in touch with a solicitor who was willing to take on his case. Neville and his solicitor commenced civil legal proceedings, alleging that an islander had decided that Neville’s house was blocking his view of the sea... and had decided to get rid of it.

Justice at Last?

After a dramatic court case, a judge would eventually find that there was no proof that either the defendant or anyone acting for him had set fire to the house. However, the judge decided that the defendant did have the most to gain from the disappearance of the house and that his digger, whether driven by him or not, was most likely involved in the house’s destruction. The judge awarded Neville £54,000 in damages. Outside court Neville would claim that the money “wouldn’t pay for a chicken coop on Tory Island”, though he did feel that justice had been served.

Today, Neville continues to experience bouts of severe mental illness and is regularly admitted to hospital. He says he bears no ill-will towards the islanders and feels he has forgiven those he believes wronged him. After so many years of searching for answers and being dismissed as delusional, Neville is grateful that someone finally believed his story.

from Hacker News https://ift.tt/3BRyZFY