RELATIVES of a Co Down man shot dead by British soldiers 50 years ago this month have requested a new inquest.
Robert Anderson (25) was one of three Catholic men killed during the same incident in Newry on October 23 1971.
He died also with Sean Ruddy (19) and Thomas James McLaughlin (27), who was a father-of-two.
The three men had all been drinking in a local pub in the hours before they died.
The British army later claimed soldiers had been located in Newry ahead of a planned bank robbery by the IRA.
It has been reported that as the men made their along a street close to the town's cathedral an attempt was made to steal cash as a drop off was being made at a bank night safe.
Soldiers who had been watching from the roof of a nearby Woolworths store opened fire on the men resulting in their deaths.
A Historical Enquiries Team report into Mr Anderson's death said the evidence does not point to the attempted robbery being "pre-planned".
Mr Anderson's family say he was not involved in the robbery attempt.
Mr Anderson's heartbroken mother Eileen Riley died just months after he was killed.
A former British soldier, Mr Anderson, who would have turned 75 last month, came from a family with strong military ties and his brothers also served.
Ministry of Defence records from the time uncovered by the charity Paper Trail reveal that the military had intelligence that there would be an attempt to rob a bank in Newry.
The papers, marked as 'secret', also confirm that none of the men killed were armed.
The triple killing later prompted a review of the British army's 'Yellow Card' rules of engagement for troops serving in the north.
Mr Anderson's niece Michelle Osborne said her mother Bernadyne Casey, a sister of Mr Anderson, continues to mourn his loss.
"It's getting to my mother more and more and the older she gets the more she is always thinking about him," she said.
Solicitor Gavin Booth, of Phoenix Law, said: "Three men were killed on that night by the British army and rather than charging them with murder the government of the day changed the rules of engagement to protect the soldiers.
"Their killings were simply brushed under the carpet by the state with the family left to deal with the loss.
"The facts and circumstances of this case are calling out for a proper investigation either by an inquest or from an outside police force."
