British soldiers lost control in 1972 Springhill shootings, inquest finds

British army soldiers “lost control” and used force that was “not reasonable” in the killing of five civilians in Northern Ireland in 1972, an inquest judge has ruled. Four of the victims – two teenagers, a father of six and a Catholic priest – posed no risk when they were shot in the Springhill and Westrock areas of west Belfast on 9 July 1972, Mr Justice Scoffield said on Thursday. The blistering verdict about one of the most highly contested events of the Troubles said two soldiers, known as A and E, overreacted to perceived threats, fired prematurely and ultimately lost control. “All fatal shootings were found to have been carried out by soldiers acting in breach of the ‘yellow card’ rules governing the use of lethal force,” the 640-page report said. Four of the dead were unarmed and it was unclear whether the fifth was armed, it said. “None of the deceased should have been shot in the circumstances.” The coroner said Father Noel Fitzpatrick, 42, a curate at Corpus Christi church, and Patrick Butler, 37, a Belfast Corporation refuse worker, were killed by the same bullet as they attempted to cross a road. Margaret Gargan, 13, was shot in the head while talking to friends. All three were deemed wholly innocent. David McCafferty, 15, was seeking to retrieve the priest’s body when he was shot in the back, the coroner said. …