Colum Eastwood says justice for Kathleen Thompson's family would have been barred under legacy proposals

He was speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, the day a judge ruled that the shooting of Mrs. Thompson, aged 47, by a British soldier in Creggan on November 6, 1971, was ‘unjustified’.

The mother-of-six was one of six civilians shot dead by the British Army in Derry in 1971. Seamus Cusack, aged 28 and Desmond Beattie, aged 19, (July 8), Hugh Herron, aged 31, (August 13), Annette McGavigan, aged 14, (September 6) and William McGreanery, aged 43, (September 15) were the other victims.

"We have heard already that many of these events were a long time ago. Well, in August 1971 Kathleen Thompson, a mother of six, was shot by the British Army. Today, in 2022, they finally got the result of an inquest that proved that that shooting was unjustified.

"Under these proposals, no other family would be entitled to get that truth and justice—it would be barred. They would not get access to the inquest process.

"Whatever people may say about things being a long time ago, we have a case today proving that inquests work, that they get truth for families and that families who have had to suffer and argue and debate and campaign for 50 years can get at least some truth out of this process. This Government want to bar that," said Mr. Eastwood.

Michelle O'Neill says legacy proposals breach Stormont House and will cause hurt and anger