British Army soldiers who shot five dead in Belfast in 1972 'overreacted and lost control', coroner says

Two soldiers "overreacted and lost control" when they shot five people dead in west Belfast in 1972, a coroner has ruled.

The findings were delivered following an inquest into the shooting of three teenagers, a priest and a father-of-six.

John Dougal, 16, David McCafferty, 15, Margaret Gargan, 13, Father Noel Fitzpatrick, 42, and Patrick Butler, 38, were shot in the Springhill and Westrock areas on 9 July 1972.

Families and supporters of those killed were applauded as they arrived at Belfast Coroner's Court on Thursday morning.

The group was led by those holding a banner which read "time for truth".

The inquest concluded in April 2024, just hours before the former government's guillotine on conflict-related court cases as part of new legacy laws came into effect.

It was the last of a series of coroner investigations into Troubles-related deaths completed before the 1 May deadline of the Legacy Act, which is currently being reviewed under Westminster's Labour government.

It had been a fresh inquest ordered by Northern Ireland's attorney general in 2014, after an original inquest in 1973 returned an open verdict.

In a joint statement ahead of the findings, the Dougal, McCafferty, Gargan and Butler families said they "stand together after almost 54 years of grief, loss, and unanswered questions".

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(c) Sky News 2026: British Army soldiers who shot five dead in Belfast in 1972 'overreacted and lost control', c