The FAMILY of a factory worker shot dead by the British Army during the Troubles have welcomed a coroner's ruling that his killing was “completely unjustified”.
56-year-old Thomas Mills, an unarmed Protestant civilian, was killed as he worked as a factory watchman in the Ballygomartin Road area, adjacent the Moyard estate, on July 18, 1972.
Coroner Joe McCrisken delivered his verdict on Friday following a new inquest into Mr Mill's death, concluding that force used by soldier M4 was “disproportionate to the threat perceived”.
Mr Mills' death was previously blamed on the IRA, however, British military logs uncovered by the legacy research charity Paper Trail in 2021 showed that his killing was carried by the British Army King's Regiment.
Following the inquest, Mr McCrisken said he was "satisfied" that an initial shot "was fired by a soldier in the 1st Battalion King’s Regiment, referred to in court as M4, who was positioned in a sangar on the roof of Vere Foster School".
“M4 had claimed he saw a gunman in and around the area of Finlay’s factory but the Coroner did not accept this," he added.
However, McCrisken earlier said he was “satisfied that there was no gunman in and around the area of Finlay’s Factory, only Mr Mills who was unarmed and posed no threat".
“The actions of M4 were completely unjustified as Mr Mills, at the time he was shot, plainly posed no threat to M4 or anyone," he stated.
The coroner said Mr Mills was likely to have been lying on the ground after the initial shot, which was followed by six shots that caused fatal injuries.
“Since I am satisfied that there was no gunman in the area I conclude that the accounts provided by M4 and M1 which describe a gunman are inaccurate at best and falsified at worst," Mr McCrisken said.
In a statement released on behalf of the Thomas Mills' family, legal representative Paul McNickle said: “The family of Thomas Mills have waited nearly 50 years to obtain the full circumstances of their father’s death.
"Thomas Mills was an entirely innocent man who was killed whilst working to support his young family in one of the darkest times of our recent history.
"The family have fought long and hard to get to this day, and they wish to express their thanks to the Coroner, and their solidarity and support to other family members who continue to struggle for their right to obtain truth, justice and accountability for their loved one's death.
"This Inquest finding underlines the necessity for victims and their families who have lost loved ones by the actions of the state to have proper access to justice in an Article 2 compliant and fully independent coronial process.”
