Showdown on Army witch-hunts
VETERANS who served in Ulster will next week get the chance to urge the Government to stop the witch-hunt against ex-soldiers.
The Northern Ireland Office has agreed to a public meeting to allow campaigners to voice their concerns about investigations into so-called “legacy” killings.
Four British soldiers have been charged over deaths dating back to 1972 despite having been then cleared of wrongdoing.
They include Dennis Hutchings, 77, a former Regimental Corporal Major in the Lifeguards.
He denies charges of attempted murder and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, relating to the killing of John Patrick Cunningham, who was unarmed and had learning difficulties.
The 27-year-old was shot in the back as he ran away from an Army patrol in County Tyrone in June 1974 in what Mr Hutchings, of Cawsand, Cornwall, accepts was “a tragedy”.
Another 278 cases Northern Ireland are understood to investigation.
Yet under Tony Blair’s 1998 Good Friday Agreement 300 IRA terrorists were freed early from prison and about 150 received letters guaranteeing they would not be prosecuted.
In May, when the Government launched a consultation on how to tackle legacy prosecutions, it dropped a pledge to include a time limit for legal action known as a statute of limitations,
Last night Alan Barry of Justice for Northern Ireland Veterans urged as many old soldiers as possible to attend the meeting.
Mr Barry, who served with the Grenadier Guards during the involving veterans be under Troubles, said: “The IRA have had an exclusive amnesty agreement since 1998 while we have had to witness a catalogue of claims driven by the Republican machine, aided and abetted by spineless politicians in order to keep Sinn Fein happy.
Hounded
“No more. Veterans have had enough and the sooner Republicans and the money-grabbing law firms they employ realise this the better.
“We need a statute of limitations to protect old soldiers from being hounded over events years ago when they were only doing their duty. We have been pressing for this meeting for some time. In its consultation document the Northern Ireland Office said it wanted as many people to respond as possible.”
He added: “This is the veterans’ chance to do so. We are holding the meeting in the Midlands to give as many people as possible the chance to come.
“The NIO has said it will give a brief presentation followed by an open forum where all who attend can voice their concerns.”
A Government spokesman said: “We have been working closely with the veterans community since the launch of the legacy consultation and this meeting is an important opportunity for the NIO to hear first-hand the concerns and views.” The meeting will be held at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall next Tuesday at 7pm.
For more information about the meeting, contact Alan Barry at alan.barry@me.com