THE FAMILY of John Pat Cunningham, who was shot dead at a British Army checkpoint nearly 50 years ago, have returned a letter of apology to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The decision to hand back the apology followed a meeting yesterday between Mr Cunningham's relatives and Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris about a memorial at a Co Down army barracks to the former soldier who was later charged with the killing.
Mr Cunningham was shot three times as he ran from soldiers near Benburb, Co Tyrone, in 1974.
The 27-year-old victim had learning difficulties and would have instinctively run from authority figures, his family has previously said.
Last year, Dennis Hutchings, a former member of the Life Guards regiment, from Cawsand in Cornwall, was put on trial in relation to the killing.
He had denied charges of attempting to murder Mr Cunningham and causing him grievous bodily harm.
The 80-year-old died in October last year before the trial concluded.
In 2013, the MoD issued his family with a written apology, at that time describing the shooting as tragic and saying Mr Cunningham had been blameless.
But yesterday the letter was returned to Mr Heaton-Harris after he was challenged on why a memorial to Dennis Hutchings had been erected at Palace Barracks in Holywood.
Speaking afterwards, one family member said: "What is an apology worth when they gave Hutchings a full military funeral and allowed a memorial on Ministry of Defence land?"
In August, the MoD said memorial garden at Palace Barracks was not one of its "officially recognised" memorial.
"These memorials are requested, erected and maintained at private expense," a statement said.
