Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has apologised on behalf of the UK Government to the families of five people shot dead by British soldiers in west Belfast in 1972. The apology follows a coroner's conclusion in April that the soldiers 'did not use reasonable force' in the killings at Springhill/Westrock on July 9, 1972.
The victims were Catholic priest Father Noel Fitzpatrick, 42, father-of-six Patrick Butler, 38, and teenagers David McCafferty, Margaret Gargan and John Dougal, 16. The coroner, Mr Justice Scoffield, found that Fitzpatrick, Butler, McCafferty and Gargan were unarmed and posed no risk. He could not determine if Dougal was armed, but noted he was a junior member of the Provisional IRA and likely running away when shot in the back.
In a written statement to the families and a formal apology in the House of Commons, Starmer said: 'The Government accepts and deeply regrets these findings, and recognises their gravity. On behalf of the Government, I want to apologise unreservedly to the families for what happened and for the grief and trauma that they have endured.'
First Minister Michelle O'Neill welcomed the apology as 'an important acknowledgement of the suffering endured by these families over many decades,' but added that 'nothing can undo the pain and loss.' She also called on the Government to 'end its cruel and cynical approach to legacy' issues, urging that other families awaiting truth and accountability be treated similarly.
