Son of Veteran Who Died During Trial Urges Minister to Stop Prosecuting Troops
John Hutchings implores Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant to halt investigations into elderly veterans, citing his father's ordeal.
The son of a veteran who died while facing trial in Northern Ireland has directly appealed to a senior Labour minister to cease what he described as the "persecution" of former soldiers.
John Hutchings, whose father Dennis, 80, died in a Belfast hospital midway through an attempted murder trial in 2021, met with Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant this week. The elder Hutchings was also suffering from kidney disease and heart failure during the proceedings, an ordeal that caused significant distress among veterans.
"I saw my father's health decline but he stayed strong to the last for other veterans," John Hutchings stated. "He should have spent his last days with his family. Instead he was staying in a Belfast hotel while standing trial. This sort of persecution has to stop. The pain is in the process."
Campaigners joined Hutchings in urging Sir Chris Bryant to impose stricter limitations on cases brought against veterans, aiming to prevent what they term the "rewriting of history" by republican groups.
The meeting occurred in anticipation of Labour's Troubles Bill returning to the House of Commons. The bill includes provisions that veterans' groups fear could lead to new criminal investigations and inquests, even for individuals previously cleared of wrongdoing.
One example cited is that of Soldiers A and C, who were acquitted in May 2021 of the 1972 murder of Official IRA leader Joe McCann. Despite their acquittal, they were informed in 2024 that a fresh inquest would be held.
"The same cases are being brought up again and again without compelling evidence that was not previously available," Hutchings added, expressing his view that there was a "vast difference" in perspective during the meeting with the minister.
Responding to the concerns, Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant said: "Our commitment to our service personnel and veterans is unshakable. That will be clear in our package of amendments to the Troubles Bill, which includes provisions to prevent repeat investigations."
