THE families of two men shot dead during the Troubles have made a last-ditch plea against the British government's legacy proposals.
Patricia Burns, the daughter of ex-serviceman Thomas Burns who was shot by the army in north Belfast in 1972, and Daniel McCready, whose brother Jim McCann was one of six men shot dead in the New Lodge area of north Belfast in 1973, lodged a judicial review challenge in the High Court in Belfast last month.
Ms Burns and Mr McCready expect to hear this week if the court has granted them leave for a judicial review.
They hope that a review will either slow down the plans, which will see an end to all prosecutions, legacy inquests and civil actions related to the Troubles, or force them to be scrapped.
A Bill to bring the proposals before Parliament is expected to be introduced at the start of next month.
Speaking at a press conference at the office of their solicitor, Harte Coyle Collins, in Belfast yesterday Ms Burns and Mr McCready said they were appalled by the proposals.
"We have to take this challenge to the legacy Command paper because we have every faith that our courts in Northern Ireland will protect the rule of law," Ms Burns said.
Ms Burns, who was accompanied by her daughter Alanna Thompson yesterday, was just six when her father, who had served in the Royal Navy for a decade, was killed outside Glen Park Social Club in July 1972.
"In my opinion the government is trying to put through the legacy proposals as quickly as possible," she said.
"Once that happens it'll be too late for us."
Ms Burns had applied for a fresh inquest into her father's death but this was refused by the Attorney General. That decision is now subject to a judicial review challenge.
"I want a proper inquest because we never got one," she said.
"I can't just sit back and not do anything... Mummy was left on her own with four children to bring up. Our family has been affected by addiction and mental health (issues) and I know it all stems from then."
Ms Burns wrote to Secretary of State Brandon Lewis asking him to press his government to reconsider its proposals.
However, she said the reply she received "wasn't very hopeful".
Mr McCready said yesterday he has been battling for justice since he was 16.
"The night our Jimmy was shot dead, the whole family just broke up," he said.
Mary McCallan, from campaign group Relatives for Justice, said a new inquest into the deaths of the New Lodge Six was only ordered by the Attorney General in February.
"The proposals by the British government have been widely condemned internationally but unless the courts here take action and demonstrate to families that they are not willing to accept such a derogation from the rule of law in this jurisdiction then it will be meaningless," she said.
