THE family of a West Belfast schoolboy who was shot dead in 1975 say they finally have truth and justice, after a coroner ruled today that Patrick Crawford was on the balance of probabilities shot dead by a member of the British Army with a high velocity bullet while walking through the grounds of the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH).
The inquest verdict into Patrick's death on the 10th of August 1975 was delivered by Coroner Gilpin at Laganside Courthouse.
The inquest started in March 2022 at Armagh Courthouse and resumed in March 2024 with evidence continuing up to the cut-off date under the British government’s controversial Legacy Act on 30th April this year.
The 15-year-old was killed by a single shot to his chest while walking through the grounds of the Royal Victoria Hospital on the Falls Road on the evening of 10th August 1975 at approximately 9.40pm. Two women, who were walking with him at the time of the fatal shooting, gave evidence at the original inquest in December 1979 that Patrick was unarmed and had asked to accompany them from the Grosvenor Road to the Falls Road through the grounds of the hospital because he was afraid.
On Monday the Coroner found that Patrick Crawford was "more likely than not" shot dead by an unidentified member of the British Army with a high velocity bullet from the roof of the maternity building inside the grounds of the Royal Victoria Hospital.
The Coroner also concluded that Patrick Crawford was an innocent 15-year-old schoolboy who was not involved with paramilitaries or paramilitary activities and posed no threat. He concluded that the British Army were in almost complete control of the RVH site at the time and that up to nine soldiers were in the vicinity at the time of the fatal shooting.
He confirmed that two of these soldiers had provided statements of evidence but were now deceased but that the other seven soldiers, who were part of an eight man foot patrol in the area, had never been identified by the Ministry of Defence.
The Crawford family have had to wait a half century for the truth about how Patrick died.
Maggie Crawford, sister of Patrick, on behalf of the Crawford siblings who were in attendance to hear the verdict, welcomed the Coroner’s findings.
Coroner concludes that 15 year old Patrick Crawford shot by unidentified member of British Army in RVH in 1975.
— Harte Coyle Collins, Solicitors & Advocates (@hcclawyers) December 16, 2024
“Our father died in 2006 without the benefit of knowing the truth about what happened to his son. We always believed that our Paddy was shot by a member of the British Army for no reason. He was afraid and nervous when he asked if he could walk with two women through the grounds of the Royal to get home.
“The Coroner has agreed with our view today. We cannot tell you how much this means to our family. We have been fighting for justice and information for 49 years. We finally have it. The family would like to thank the Coroner, the Coroner’s staff and our legal team for the efforts devoted to getting to the truth. We finally have justice for Paddy.”
Patricia Coyle, solicitor for the Crawford family said: “This is a very significant verdict. This is the first legacy inquest decision since the guillotine date on legacy inquests of 30th April 2024 under the Legacy Act. This verdict goes to the core issue of the need for independent, judicial, and public inquests into contested killings in Northern Ireland where they involve the state.
“The requirement for meticulous and scrupulous judicial examination of forensic, ballistic and eye witness evidence in such cases is critical. The public mechanism of the inquests is essential to the correction of the public record. That was particularly so in this case. The value of the process to the next of kin is limitless and cannot be understated. The family of Master Patrick Crawford thank the Coroner for the comprehensive verdict today which supports their long held belief that their young brother was killed by the British army.”
Sinn Féin MP John Finucane welcomed the judgement.
“Patrick’s family have fought for nearly five decades for this decision, and I want to commend their courage and determination in bringing about such a day.
“This was also an important ruling as it represented the first outcome of a legacy inquest since the Tory government’s shameful Legacy Act came into force back in May of this year. I would again urge the current Labour government to live up to its manifesto pledge and fully ‘repeal and replace’ this cruel piece of legislation."
