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An inquest examining the fatal shooting of five individuals in west Belfast has revealed that the force used against a 16-year-old boy was deemed “not reasonable.” Among those killed on 9 July 1972 in the Springhill estate was John Dougal, alongside Patrick Butler, aged 38; Father Noel Fitzpatrick, 42; David McCafferty, 15; and Margaret Gargan, just 13 years old. The families of the deceased maintain that the Army was responsible for their loved ones’ deaths and continue to seek clarity on the events.
During the proceedings, soldiers involved claimed they had aimed at armed gunmen at the time. However, delivering the findings on Thursday, Mr Justice Scoffield noted that John Dougal was likely running away and trying to find cover, feeling threatened by the possibility of being shot. The judge expressed satisfaction with the conclusion that Dougal was struck by a single bullet to the chest at Corry’s Yard, fired by one individual, with “Soldier A” identified as the most probable shooter. This shot was described as a direct hit, though not fired at close range.
Importantly, the court was not persuaded that Dougal was armed when shot, nor that he had been warned before the fatal discharge. It was also established that although he was involved with Na Fianna Éireann, the youth wing of the IRA, he had most likely not become a member of the adult IRA. The court heard there was no concrete military intelligence tying Dougal to the IRA, further challenging claims made at the time.
As the hearing commenced, families and supporters gathered outside the coroner’s court, met by applause as they carried a banner displaying the message “time for truth” alongside images of those who died. Supporters included political figures such as junior minister Aisling Reilly, West Belfast MP Paul Maskey, and People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll. This inquest, held decades after an original 1973 investigation that returned an open verdict, was fast-tracked to meet a government deadline for legacy investigations. The deaths occurred during 1972, noted as the bloodiest year of the Troubles, which saw 472 fatalities. The purpose of the fresh inquest, initiated in February 2023, was to determine whether military gunfire, or fire from republican or loyalist paramilitaries, caused the deaths
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