(Clockwise from top left) Springhill Massacre victims John Dougal, Father Noel Fitzpatrick, Patrick Butler, David McCafferty, and Margaret Gargan.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has issued an apology on behalf of the UK Government in the wake of the Springhill Inquest findings, which were announced on April 30.

On July 9, 1972, five people - John Dougal (16), Father Noel Fitzpatrick (42), Patrick Butler (37), David McCafferty (15), and Margaret Gargan (13)  - were shot and killed by British soldiers in the Springhill area of Belfast. Two others - Martin Dudley (19) and Brian Petticrew (17) - were seriously injured.

In the findings delivered at the Belfast Coroner’s Court, Justice Scoffield, sitting as a coroner, concluded that the five fatal shootings were carried out by soldiers acting in breach of the 'yellow card' rules governing the use of lethal force.

The coroner said that while four of the deceased were unarmed at the time they were shot, the same could not be determined for the fifth person who was killed.

The coroner found that, while suspicions remain regarding the activities of certain individuals prior to the shootings, none of the deceased should have been shot in the circumstances.

The coroner said he would take submissions on whether his ruling should be referred to the public prosecution service.

"The findings of the recent Springhill inquest into the tragic deaths, in July 1972, of Father Noel Fitzpatrick, Patrick Butler, Margaret Gargan, David McCafferty, and John Dougal are sobering," Starmer said during Prime Minister's Question Time in the UK House of Commons on Wednesday, June 3.

"While the circumstances in which the events occurred were undoubtedly challenging, it is the duty of the state to hold itself to the highest standard.

"The Government accepts and deeply regrets these findings, and recognizes their gravity.

"On behalf of the Government, I want to apologize unreservedly to the families for what happened and for the grief and trauma that they have endured since the tragic deaths of their loved ones."

Starmer's letter to Springhill victims' families

The non-profit group Relatives for Justice said on social media that each of the Springhill Massacre families received a personal letter from the Prime Minister.

The group highlighted that the apology came only after "an effective and human rights inquest which rewrote and rectified the inaccurate historical record."

In the letter to the victims' families, Prime Minister Starmer expressed "personally how sorry I am for your loss."

He wrote that the findings of the Springhill inquest were "clear" and that it "was not reasonable for the soldiers to fire the shots" that killed the victims on that day.

"I accept and deeply regret this finding and recognise its gravity," he wrote. "I wish to acknowledge the terrible hurt that has been caused to you and to apologise."

He continued: "It is the duty of the State to hold itself to the highest standards. That requires the State to acknowledge and apologise where it has fallen short. While the environment in which they were operating was extremely challenging and dangerous, nonetheless soldiers were still required to use only such force as was reasonable in the circumstances.

"I want to recognise the dignity and strength you have shown and know that no words of apology can undo what occurred or make up for the loss you have suffered.

"On behalf of the Government, I want to acknowledge the terrible hurt caused an to apologise unreservedly to you for the grief and trauma that you have endure since the tragic death of your loved one."

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"A necessary part of achieving truth and justice"

Pádraig Ó Muirigh, solicitor for the Gargan, Dougal, McCaffery, and Butler families, said on Wednesday that the families welcomed Starmer's apology.

"Whilst the evidence-based inquest findings, which vindicated the families' long campaign to clear their loved ones' names, was the primary objective of the campaign, it is also important that the families have official acknowledgement of the wrong done to them," Ó Muirigh said in a statement.

"Their loved ones, and their wider community, have been vilified for over five decades.

"The apology cannot undo the loss and pain suffered, however, the overturning of a wrongful legal verdict through the recent inquest and official acknowledgement by the state of their wrongdoing is a necessary part of achieving truth and justice for these families."

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"Many families who continue to wait"

Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill, who is also the Vice President of Sinn Féin, said on Wednesday that Starmer's apology was "an important acknowledgement of the suffering endured by these families over many decades."

She said: "Nothing can undo the pain and loss experienced by those who lost loved ones that day. But acknowledgment matters. The Springhill families deserve the truth, and they deserve to have that truth publicly recognised.

"The Springhill families now join the families of Bloody Sunday and Ballymurphy, whose determined campaigns secured official findings and public acknowledgement of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their loved ones.

"These moments matter not only because they recognise individual loss, but because they affirm and expose the actions of the British army against the Springhill community."

O'Neill went on to say that "there remain many families who continue to wait for truth, accountability, and acknowledgement where their loved ones were killed as in a manner similar to Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy, and Springhill.

"Every family has the right to know what happened. Every family deserves equal access to truth, justice and accountability."

She said: "The British Government must now end its cruel and cynical approach to legacy. Families seeking to establish the truth about what happened to their loved ones should not be dragged through protracted and painful legal processes, and particularly so when the evidence is clear. The cynical handling of legacy issues from the British Prime Minister, including his prioritisation of the interests of British state forces over victims and families, has undermined confidence in current legacy mechanisms and deepened hurt. If he is serious about dealing with legacy, this approach must end."