Published • loading... • Updated
Royal Navy Veteran’s Family Settles Legal Case over 1972 Belfast Shooting by Soldiers
The family says the settlement follows a 54-year fight for truth and accountability, while they still seek a reopened inquest.
- On Friday, the Ministry of Defence settled a civil claim with the family of Thomas Burns, a former British Royal Navy serviceman killed by the British Army in Belfast 54 years ago.
- Soldiers killed Burns, an innocent man, on July 13, 1972, as he left the Glenpark Social Club; his widow Kathleen campaigned for accountability until her 2007 death, leaving four children to continue the mission.
- Although Attorney General Dame Brenda King directed a fresh inquest in 2023, the Conservative government's Legacy Act halted the process, which Relatives for Justice described as occurring despite the family's "extraordinary determination in their decades-long pursuit of truth and accountability."
- Patricia Burns, the victim's daughter, called the settlement "just one legal mechanism in what is required to correct the public record," while the MoD stated it was "glad to have been able to do so given Mr Burns' past service."
- The family awaits a decision on whether their inquest will proceed, having written to the British Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in August requesting a meeting about their case.
Insights by Ground AI
6 Articles
6 Articles
British MOD settles action for family of Thomas Burns
“We also note and await with interest the potential impact of the new proposed ‘Hillsborough Law’imposing a legal duty of candour on state agencies, including the security services, to proactively tell the truth and assist legal processes from the onset, on the cohort of legacy cases in Northern Ireland” - Patricia Coyle, solicitor, Harte Coyle Collins
Coverage Details
Total News Sources6
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
L 33%
C 67%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
