Two soldiers “lost control” in the fatal shootings of five people in Belfast almost 54 years ago, a coroner has said.

The British Army soldiers did not use reasonable force in the shooting of a Catholic priest, a father-of-six and three teenagers in two areas of west Belfast on July 9 1972, the coroner ruled.

Mr Justice Scoffield said that Father Noel Fitzpatrick, 42, father-of-six Patrick Butler, 38, and teenagers David McCafferty and Margaret Gargan were unarmed and posed no risk when they were shot.

He said Father Fitzpatrick and Mr Butler were killed by the same bullet as the priest looked left and Mr Butler looked right as they attempted to cross the road from an alleyway.

David McCafferty, 15, was seeking to retrieve the body of the priest when he was shot in the back, the coroner said.

A soldier who fired the shots that killed all three, known only as Soldier A, was less than 100 metres away at Corry’s Timber Yard.

The coroner concluded that the soldier “fired prematurely”, “lost control” and shot without having first made an assessment of the risk, if any, they posed.

He said he was satisfied that no warning was given, and that the three victims were not carrying a weapon.

He said even if the soldier believed he needed to use force to defend himself, the force used was not reasonable.

A soldier known only as Soldier E, who was located at the same woodyard as Soldier A, shot Margaret Gargan, 13, in the head while she stood on a pavement and spoke to friends, the coroner said.

He was unable to conclude whether the other teenager, 16-year-old John Dougal, was armed when he was shot.

He said the teenager was a member of the junior wing of the Provisional IRA but said on balance he concluded he had not progressed into the ranks of the adult IRA. The coroner said even if John had been in possession of a firearm, he was not using it and was likely running away when he was shot in the back.

He said: “With John Dougal shot in the back as he ran from the area and taking into account the requirements of the yellow card, the force used by Soldier A was not reasonable.”

He said that Soldier A, who shot John Dougal, Fr Fitzpatrick, Mr Butler and David McCafferty, and Soldier E, who shot Margaret Gargan, had “overreacted and lost control”.

Mr Justice Scoffield rejected the British Army’s explanation that the soldiers were reacting to a mass “coordinated” attack on Corry’s Timber Yard, where the soldiers were based, and said the brigade radio logs “hugely undermine” that narrative.

He said he also rejected the civilian case that “not one shot had been fired” by civilians before British Army soldiers began firing and said that was “much too simplistic an analysis”.

He said that while soldiers may have been influenced by civilian firing, they were not responding to “a coordinated attack by a mass of gunmen”.

He said the soldiers based in the woodyard had been apprehensive about the breakdown of an IRA ceasefire and had been “expecting an armed attack and were, no doubt, nervous and fearful of such a possibility”.

Families and friends of the five gathered at Belfast Coroner’s Court for the long-awaited findings.

There was applause as they walked together holding a banner which read “time for truth”.

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The group included former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, junior minister Aisling Reilly, West Belfast MP Conor Maskey and People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll.

The inquest concluded in April 2024, just hours before the former government’s guillotine on conflict-related court cases as part of new legacy laws coming into effect.

It was the last of the coronial investigations into Troubles-related deaths completed before the May 1 deadline of the Legacy Act, which is currently being reviewed under the Labour Government.

It had been a fresh inquest ordered by Northern Ireland’s attorney general in 2014 after an original inquest in 1973 returned an open verdict. Before reading out his findings, which number some 640 pages, Mr Justice Scoffield apologised to the families for the length of the wait, saying he had taken some time to consider matters.

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During a trial in July 2024, he was convicted of rape, two counts of sexual assault, and voyeurism against four women while in January this year, he was found guilty of raping a woman in London in March 2015, and the attempted rape and sexual assault of another woman in Thailand in December 2019. He pleaded guilty to one count of voyeurism.

Lisa Heald, from Radcliffe, went on holiday to Dalyan in Turkey with her family last August, to celebrate her husband, James Heald, turning 50.

A few days into what was supposed to be a week-long relaxing vacation, the family were walking back to where they were staying after enjoying a meal together, when Lisa asked her son, Branigan Smith, to take a photo.

Obliging, the 21-year-old, took the picture and handed his mum the phone back, then she said he collapsed right in front of her, and before she knew it, another English tourist who had seen what had happened, ran over and began CPR, explaining she was a doctor.

Lisa, 46, said: “He’d not been ill. He’d not said he was not feeling too great that night. His behaviour was no different to Branigan at any other point.”

Lisa Heald with her son Branigan Smith (Image: Lisa Heald)

Mum-of-three Lisa said the emergency services were then called and she and her husband had to follow Branigan in the ambulance for a 20-minute journey, which she described as feeling “like a lifetime” to the nearest hospital.

When they arrived, Branigan was being looked after in a cubicle, and she said the language barrier was making things difficult.

But thankfully, a kind waiter who recognised the family from earlier in the holiday had heard about what happened, and came to the hospital to help translate for the family.

Sadly, doctors told her that they tried for 50 minutes to revive Branigan, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

Lisa, who works as a compliance manager, said she remembered “feeling numb” and having to identify her son’s body.

Branigan worked as a travel agent, and Lisa said he had a travel insurance policy that covered his repatriation. His body arrived in the UK on September 3, 2025.

She said the cause of his death is still unknown, and this has made processing his death even more difficult for her family.

Branigan was a keen football fan (Image: Lisa Heald)

Lisa said: “It’s so hard not knowing. Would it have always happened? Would it have happened at home? Was it always going to be that night?

“They’re just things that we, I don’t know if we’ll ever get the answers to.

“And could it happen to somebody else? Could it happen to another?

“Thinking about going on holiday and stuff, you live in fear that something might happen like that again.”

Branigan had two sisters, McKenzie and Daisy Smith, aged 27 and 14, and Lisa says if she did know his cause of death was an illness, this could mean that they could be tested.

She said it was “heartwarming” when customers from the travel agent, whom she had never met, attended his funeral.

Lisa said: “Branigan went to the gym four times a week. He was a healthy young lad.

Branigan Smith with his sisters, McKenzie and Daisy Smith (Image: Lisa Heald)

“He loved football. He was a massive Bolton Wanderers fan, hence why he’s called Branigan because there was a goalkeeper called Keith Branagan.

“He loved travel. That’s why he studied travel and tourism in college.

“He was such a lovable, happy boy. I’ve never known anyone who laughed and was as happy as Branigan was.”

Now Lisa has organised a football match in memory of Branigan, who used to play for Radcliffe Juniors and Westbury when he was young.

It will be held at 7.30pm on Friday, May 22, at Radcliffe FC, Neuven Stadium, Colshaw Close.

The match will see the two teams set against one another and will cost £1 to attend, with all funds going to the British Heart Foundation.

Lisa said she chose the charity because, although there is no official cause of death for Branigan yet, it could have been that he suffered a sudden cardiac death.

She said somebody has donated a trophy in her son’s name, which will now be the Branigan Smith Memorial Cup, and she has been asked to present this on the night.

Emergency services were called to the southbound carriageway close to the Mandale Interchange in Middlesbrough at 2.16pm today (April 30).

AA and Traffic England confirmed there had been a ‘medical incident’ with the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) saying one person was taken to hospital.

A spokesperson for the NEAS said: “We were called to a road traffic incident in Middlesbrough at 2.16pm on April 30.

“We dispatched a double crewed ambulance and a specialist paramedic. One patient was taken to James Cook Hospital.” 

A spokesperson for AA Traffic Maps added: “Traffic congestion and one lane closed due to medical incident on A19 Southbound at A1130 Acklam Road (Mandale Interchange).”

The lane has since been reopened.

Brian Gately, known to family and friends as Big Bri, died after reports of an altercation with a group of people outside his home on Samphire Street, Port Clarence.

The incident happened at around 9.15pm on November 28, 2022. There were multiple arrests at the time but never any charges until now.

Brian Gately died after a suspected altercation with a group of people outside his home on Samphire Street, Port Clarence. (Image: Cleveland Police)

Cleveland Police confirmed that Ashley Cooper, 29, of Gisburn Road in Billingham and Dean Barnett, 26, of Rowan Tree Gardens in Redcar, have both been charged with manslaughter.

Barnett is due to appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on June 8, and Cooper is due to appear at the same court on June 10.

In November 2024, following a renewed appeal for information, Mr Gately’s family spoke of the impact of his death and their continued search for answers.

They said: “There has been no closure for us as a family after losing Big Bri. We are a big family, and we all miss him so much.

“Some of Bri’s grandkids never got to meet their grandad, and without knowing what really happened to him, we cannot explain this to all of the kids and we can’t have any closure.

“Big Bri loved Christmas. It was a big time for him, and everyone went to his on Christmas Day. He loved having everyone together.

“As we head towards Christmas as a family, without Big Bri again, we want to ask anyone who has any information at all to please tell the police.

“Please help our family get the answers we need to try and move forward and get some closure.”

​Scarborough Town Councillors have said they do not want to see ​the Duchess pub at 152 Hovingham Drive, Scarborough, converted into three flats as proposed by RPC Scarborough Ltd.

​The outline proposal for the site, which is near Scarborough Hospital, would include the construction of detached bungalows if it is approved by the planning authority.

​Town councillors said they were opposed to the proposal over a loss of amenity for local residents and proposed setting up an online page to raise awareness of the proposal among the community.

​Cllr Chris Clarke said the company behind the plan had “no track record or experience in the ownership or operation of public houses” and suggested that “the company’s primary focus is not the operation of a public house”.

​Speaking at a meeting of Scarborough Town Council’s community and place committee on Wednesday, April 29, he added: “The proposal does not sufficiently demonstrate any sort of commitment by RPC to the continued operation of the premises as a viable public house, and on this basis, I call for refusal.”

​Cllr David Knowles said: “It’s the only pub on that large housing development and because it’s a big pub, it used to do food.

​“So, I don’t think it’s been given a fair crack at the whip in terms of how it’s been promoted and marketed, and it probably could do better.”

At the meeting, committee members voted against the conversion of the pub, which will be decided by the local planning authority.

​However, in a statement submitted as part of the planning application, the pub’s former licensee gave their support to the conversion as the pub “is not commercially viable, and the local community do not view it as a significant community asset”.

​​The ex-licensee said: “The local community did not support the pub and did not appear to view the public house as a community asset in any significant way, and I have heard no significant negative comments following its closure.

​”They also noted that the pub “barely broke even”.

​​Submitted plans state that the proposed development would retain the existing building’s scale and massing with no increase in building height.

​​“The existing two-storey form is retained; this ensures the development remains compatible with neighbouring residential properties.”

​​The applicant said that the conversion of the pub would have positive impacts, including a reduction in noise associated with pub operations, reduced evening and late-night activity, and added that the building would continue to be occupied and maintained.

​​Submitted plans also state that the proposed bungalow development would be located a “sufficient distance away from the Duchess building and adjacent housing”.

​They add: “The proposed bungalow design is in response to the local context and is designed to reflect the scale, form, heights and layout arrangements of the existing buildings.”

​​North Yorkshire Council has not set a date for deciding on the application which is currently open to representations from members of the public.

John Higgins produced a battling display to fight back from 3-1 down to draw level at 4-4 against Shaun Murphy in the opening session of their World Championship semi-final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

It was far from fluent from the four-time world champion, whose highest break of 50 gave him the eighth frame of the contest.

Indeed, for most of Thursday afternoon he appeared to still be feeling the effects of his late-night quarter-final victory over Neil Robertson, as he failed to make a number of easy pots in an error-strewn showing.

However, not for the first time in the tournament, he exhibited all his resolve and granite matchplay qualities that makes him such a dangerous opponent.

Their best-of-33 encounter resumes on Friday at 10:00 BST, with the remaining last-four match, between China’s Wu Yize and Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen, starting at 19:00 on Thursday.

Emergency services were called to the scene on Sapling Road, off Morris Green Way, Morris Green at around 11pm on the evening of Wednesday April 29.

A car appeared to have driven into a wall at the top of the street, and police say they are now investigating a suspected arson in connection with the incident.

Speaking on Thursday, A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “We are investigating a suspected offence of arson on Sapling Road, Bolton yesterday, April 29.

“There is believed to be no wider threat to the public and enquiries remain ongoing.”

A house fire was reported (Image: Phil Taylor)

No casualties were reported because of the incident but clear damage to the wall and house were visible from outside.

Three fire engines were also called the scene that night to help tackle the house fire and remained there for around two and a half hours.

Crews from Bolton Central, Farnworth and Atherton Fire Stations were all involved in tackling the blaze before the scene was handed over to police for their investigations.

A car appeared to have hit the wall (Image: Phil Taylor)

A Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “At around 11pm on Wednesday April 29, three fire engines from Bolton Central, Farnworth and Atherton were called to a house fire on Sapling Road, Bolton after a car has crashed into a wall.

“Crews arrived quickly and worked with partners from Greater Manchester Police to make the area safe. No casualties were reported.

“Crews were in attendance for around two and a half hours.”

Officers remained at the scene through the night and into Thursday morning as their investigation were carried out.

Members of the public reported a large police presence still visible around the house early on Thursday morning.

By later that same morning traffic was able to pass freely across Sapling Road and the surrounding area.

Just before 11.50am on Thursday morning, plainclothes police officers appeared to be leaving the scene on Sapling Road.

Anyone with any further information or concerns can call police on 101 or 999 in the event of an emergency.