Injustice

Their report was released as Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt is today set to launch a consultation on her plan to introduce legislation with a statutory presumption against prosecution for military incidents outside the UK more than 10 years ago. As it stands, the plan will not protect veterans of The Troubles because the Northern Ireland Office is drawing up its own approach to “legacy” killings.

Demanding a change, the MPs declared: “The treatment of UK Armed Forces should not be inferior in Northern Ireland to that which applies to legacy issues from conflicts overseas.” They also recommended that investigations could include “a Truth Recovery Process where evidence can be taken, without threat of prosecution”. Seven Northern Ireland veterans are facing trial, amid fears that hundreds more could follow. One, Dennis Hutchings, 78, from Cornwall, was twice investigated and cleared over a 1974 shooting.

He said: “This effective Statute of Limitations has to include Northern Ireland veterans. If not, it is blatantly political and Northern Ireland to serve their country by the Government of the day, are facing trial over incidents decades ago, despite having been exonerated at the time.

So I am pleased to see this Defence Select Committee report back a presumption against Ex-soldier and Tory MP Johnny Mercer says witch-hunts must end prosecution [of all veterans] unless compelling new evidence emerges.

It is perfectly legitimate for families who lost loved ones in The Troubles to want to know what happened.

It is therefore appropriate in some cases to ask soldiers and policemen questions in order to establish the facts.

But if there is this presumption against prosecution it means that if a 75-year-old veteran gets a letter from the Police Service of Northern Ireland about an incident 40 years ago, he knows that this is not about building a case against him.

We have to remember the key difference between the soldiers and the terrorists. Soldiers got up in the shows that this process has nothing to do with the law.”

Alan Barry, founder of Justice For Northern Ireland Veterans, said: “This is discrimination... The Government is running scared of Sinn Fein.” Defence Committee member and Afghanistan veteran Johnny Mercer said: “There are options available to end what I consider one of the greatest injustices we self-inflict upon those who serve.

“I and others fully expect the next Prime Minister to end this ridiculous charade and legislate to prevent abuses of the legal system by those who seek to rewrite history.” morning to do their duty and keep the peace. Terrorists got up in the morning intending to kill and maim.

This report is effectively calling for a statute of limitations to stop prosecutions of veterans over incidents more than 10 years ago unless compelling new evidence emerges.

That is probably as good as we are going to get and it is probably good enough.

It will now be down to the new prime minister to do the right thing by the brave men and women who served their country in good faith in very dangerous conditions.

As the report says, this problem can be solved but it requires a resolute government to solve it.