A coroner has delivered findings following an inquest into the killing of five people in shootings involving the British Army in west Belfast 50 years ago. The incident occurred on July 9, 1972, in the Springhill and Westrock areas, where a priest and three teenagers were among those killed.
Background of the Inquest
The inquest concluded in April 2024, just hours before the former government's guillotine on conflict-related court cases as part of new legacy laws came into effect. It was the last of the coronial investigations into Troubles-related deaths completed before the May 1 deadline of the Legacy Act, which is currently being reviewed under the Labour Government. This was a fresh inquest ordered by Northern Ireland's attorney general in 2014 after an original inquest in 1973 returned an open verdict.
Families Seek Truth
Families and friends of the deceased—Father Noel Fitzpatrick, 42, father-of-six Patrick Butler, 38, John Dougal, 16, David McCafferty, 15, and Margaret Gargan, 13—gathered at Belfast Coroner's Court for the long-awaited findings. There was applause as they walked together holding a banner that read “time for truth”. The group included former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, Junior Minister Aisling Reilly, West Belfast MP Conor Maskey, and People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll.
In a joint statement, the Butler, Gargan, Dougal, and McCafferty families said they “stand together after almost 54 years of grief, loss, and unanswered questions”. They stated: “The deaths of our loved ones that occurred at Springhill and Westrock on 9th July 1972 have cast a long shadow over our lives. Each of those who died was an individual – deeply loved and still deeply missed. For us, this is not history; it is something we have lived with every day. We have consistently maintained that those who died were innocent civilians, and that the force used on that day was indiscriminate and unjustified. For over five decades, our families have raised serious concerns that those initial investigations failed to properly establish the truth. We now await the coroner Justice Scoffield’s findings. We do so with both hope and apprehension – hope that the findings will reflect the full circumstances of what happened, and apprehension because of the weight this moment carries for all of our families.”
Coroner's Remarks
Addressing Belfast Coroner's Court on Thursday morning, Mr Justice Scoffield apologised to the families for the length of the wait for the findings, saying he had taken some time to consider matters. He noted that his findings number some 640 pages. The findings are expected to shed light on the events of that day and provide some closure to the families who have waited over five decades for answers.
