Thomas Burns, 32, was shot dead by a soldier as he left a social club in north Belfast in 1972.
Father-of-four Thomas Burns, 32, was killed as he left a social club in north Belfast in 1972The Northern Ireland Attorney General has directed that a new inquest be held into the fatal shooting of a man by the army 50 years ago.Mr Burns, a Catholic, had served in the Royal Navy for 10 years.The family have long campaigned for a fresh inquest after new evidence was provided by ex-soldiers 10 years ago.
The evidence undermined the reliability of military statements given to the original inquest in 1973. Although the then Attorney General John Larkin accepted it had been wrong to find a verdict of misadventure, he refused a fresh inquest in 2019.Now Mr Larkin's successor as Attorney General, Brenda King, has granted the family their wish.In a letter to their lawyers, Ms King set out five reasons for her decision, including fresh military evidence and a new statement from a civilian witness.
Mr Burns was hit in the chest by a soldier who opened fire from a watch tower, claiming to have seen a gunman. His daughter Patricia, who was aged six at the time of the shooting, added: "The army killed an innocent man for no reason and deprived me and my brothers of our father at a very young age.However, the decision could be affected by the government's legacy bill which, if passed, would ban troubles-related inquests being held after a cut-off point in the near future.
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