Dying veteran hauled before the courts

A DYING Army veteran will stand trial over the death of an IRA suspect nearly 43 years ago.

Great-grandfather Dennis Hutchings, 75, is being hauled to court to face charges over the fatal shooting of John Pat Cunningham, 27, in Northern Ireland in June 1974.

The retired soldier, who attended yesterday’s march on Downing Street, suffers kidney failure and has been given two years to live.

Mr Hutchings has been accused of attempted grievous bodily harm, even though there is no fresh evidence, and he could be sentenced to 16 years in prison if found guilty.

A judge last month ruled there was ‘ample evidence’ a jury could conclude the former Warrant Officer (Class 1) fired three shots at Mr Cunningham, though charges of attempted murder were dropped. The veteran, who was cleared of the killing at the time, believes he is being ‘thrown to the wolves’.

Mr Hutchings’ patrol had been searching for IRA terrorists near Armagh when they came across Mr Cunningham, who they believed to be an armed suspect. He ran away and some members of the patrol opened fire, killing him, but it later emerged Mr Cunningham was an innocent member of the public with the mental age of a child between six and ten.

Mr Hutchings was charged in 2015 after the case was re-examined by a legacy unit.