Family accepts settlement but seeks renewed state accountability
The family of a Royal Navy veteran shot dead by soldiers in north Belfast in 1972 has accepted a civil settlement from the Ministry of Defence, but say they will continue to pursue a reopened inquest into his death.
Thomas Burns was shot as he left Glenpark social club in the early hours of 13 July 1972 and later died in hospital. He had served in the Royal Navy for more than eight years, with postings including Malta and Singapore, before returning to live with his family in Belfast in 1965.
The family’s civil action was confirmed to have been settled on Friday. They said the payment was “significant”, and called for renewed efforts to secure a state inquest that they say would provide full accountability.
“On 13th July 1972, the army killed my father, an innocent man, for no reason and deprived me and my brothers of our father at a very young age,” said Patricia Burns, one of his children. “I only wish my mum Kathleen had lived to see the settlement of this civil action.”
Long legal campaign and interrupted inquest process
Mrs Burns and her siblings have campaigned for decades for answers. Their mother, Kathleen, campaigned until her death in 2007. The family successfully challenged the original 1973 inquest verdict of misadventure, securing its quashing.
In June 2019 the then Attorney General for Northern Ireland, John Larkin KC, concluded that Mr Burns had been an innocent unarmed civilian and was shot without justification. That finding led to an application for a fresh inquest, which was at first refused but later ordered by Attorney General Dame Brenda King in 2023.
However, the fresh inquest was not permitted to proceed to hearing by the previous Conservative government’s Legacy Act, which halted legacy inquests that had not yet opened and heard evidence. The Burns family say that legal route to full disclosure has therefore been blocked.
Family pushes for political engagement
Following the settlement, the family reiterated their call for political engagement to secure the reopening of the inquest process. They said that in August 2026 they asked for meetings with the British Prime Minister and the Northern Ireland Secretary of State to discuss options for reopening the probe.
- Victim: Thomas Burns, Royal Navy veteran, shot 13 July 1972.
- Legal milestones: 1973 inquest verdict quashed; 2019 Attorney General finding of an innocent unarmed civilian.
- 2023: fresh inquest directed; subsequently prevented by the Legacy Act.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1972 | Thomas Burns shot leaving Glenpark social club, later dies |
| 1973 | Original inquest returns verdict of misadventure |
| 2019 | Attorney General John Larkin KC finds Burns was an innocent unarmed civilian |
| 2023 | Attorney General Dame Brenda King directs fresh inquest; process later halted |
| 2026 | Family settles civil action with the Ministry of Defence |
Representatives for the family said the civil settlement does not replace their push for a full forensic and public legal examination of the circumstances of Mr Burns’s death. They described the payment as a recognition of wrongdoing but insisted that only a reopened inquest would produce the documentary and testimonial disclosure that families seek.
Legal experts and victims’ groups have previously warned that the Legacy Act has left many families without a clear route to public truth and accountability. Critics argue that civil settlements, while providing some redress, cannot substitute for the evidential process of an inquest that compels witnesses and produces a judicial record.
The Ministry of Defence has not published details of the settlement and declined to comment beyond confirming that a civil case had been resolved. The Burns family say they remain committed to pursuing the reopened inquest and continuing conversations with government ministers to find a way to allow the hearing to proceed.
The case underlines the enduring pain felt across Belfast and Northern Ireland by families affected by Troubles-era killings and the fraught interface between legal avenues, political decisions and the search for truth.
