CIVIL cases brought against the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) by two men injured during the Ballymurphy Massacre have reached a settlement this morning.

After the historic Ballymurphy inquest findings on the 11 May 2021, civil proceedings were issued against the MoD and Chief Constable of the PSNI for damages and loss sustained by a number of individuals who were shot and injured by the British Army's Parachute Regiment at Ballymurphy in West Belfast between the 9 and 11 August 1971.

At the High Court, Mr Justice Humphreys was told that terms in the cases taken by Bobby Clarke and Joseph Millen had been agreed by both sides.

The settlements have been described as 'significant'.

The amounts paid out in each case were not disclosed in court but the judge ordered the MoD to pay legal costs.

Bobby Clarke (89) was shot and injured as he assisted his neighbours and children escaping an attack by a loyalist mob on homes at Springfield Park on the 9 August 1971.

Mr Clarke was given the last rites by Fr Hugh Mullan as he lay on waste ground close to his home. He also witnessed the fatal shooting of Fr Mullan and Frank Quinn by British soldiers on the waste ground beside him.

Joseph Millen was shot in the back and seriously injured near Springfield Park as he made his way home on the 9 August 1971.

He had been lying on the ground when shot as he tried to avoid gunshots. He was eventually transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital for emergency surgery.

Speaking after the High Court ruling, West Belfast MP Paul Maskey commended the families for their "steadfast and dignified" campaign.

“Today is more vindication for that campaign as the High Court ruled that two men brutally shot and wounded by British Army paratroopers will be compensated," he said.

"What happened in Ballymurphy was state murder and for decades the British government has covered it up. Now they want to slam the door in the face of these families and others killed by the state and their campaigns for truth and justice.

“The British Government’s cruel and callous legacy bill is an affront to human rights and must be opposed at every turn. Families have a right to truth and justice.  

"British state forces cannot be above the law. The legacy mechanisms agreed at the Stormont House must be implemented in a human rights compliant manner." 

In May 2021 an inquest into the deaths of ten of the victims of the Ballymurphy Massacre found that they were innocent when they were shot dead by the Parachute Regiment. An eleventh victim Paddy McCarthy died of a heart attack after being attacked by soldiers.

A number of related legal actions by families of those killed at Ballymurphy reached a settlement in June 2022.