Verdicts due in inquest into 1972 Springhill shootings in Belfast

Families of five people shot dead by British soldiers in Belfast in 1972 are set to hear the findings of a long-awaited inquest verdict.

The victims, including teenagers and a Catholic priest, were killed during a military operation in west Belfast on 9 July 1972.

The five victims were 16-year-old John Dougal, 15-year-old David McCafferty, 13-year-old Margaret Gargan, 38-year-old Paddy Butler, and 42-year-old Fr Noel Fitzpatrick.

They were shot by members of the 1 Kings Regiment stationed near Ballymurphy in the Springhill area.

The incident occurred on the same day that an IRA ceasefire broke down, with gunbattles reported elsewhere in the city.

The victims were unarmed civilians, according to their families, who have maintained that the shooting was unjustified.

The original inquest in 1973 returned an open verdict.

A fresh inquest was ordered by Northern Ireland's Attorney General and began in 2023, hearing 70 days of evidence.

It concluded shortly before the British government's legacy legislation ended such Troubles-related inquests.

This inquest is the last of its kind to conclude before the government-imposed deadline.

The families have expressed hope that the verdict will provide answers to many unresolved questions about the circumstances of the deaths.

Soldiers involved said they believed they were responding to a threat from gunmen and that their use of force was proportionate.

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