Leo Norney inquest: Family of boy killed by army say his reputation has been restored by inquest ruling

Leo Norney was 17 years old when he was shot dead by Lance Corporal John Ross MacKay.

Coroner Patrick McGurgan found it was likely Mr Norney’s killing was a “deliberate act”, and that the other soldiers with Mr MacKay gave false accounts of what happened out of fear of him to cover up what happened.

Mr Norney’s niece, Linda Norney, said that the ruling restored Leo’s “good reputation”.

“Leo was only a boy of 17. He had just got out of a taxi and was going to meet his girlfriend. Leo was not armed. He did not pose a threat to anyone. He was shot in cold blood and his shooting is unjustified,” she said.

“However the British army did not just kill Leo. They also murdered his good name. Later that night after the soldiers returned to their base, they concocted a false story which blackened Leo’s name for almost 50 years.

“They said that Leo was a gunman and that Leo had opened fire on them. Today, that narrative has been exposed for the deceit and lies that it is, and Leo’s good reputation has been restored.”

Ms Norney also stated her wish that other families of victims of the Troubles would be given justice.

She said: “It is sad that it was necessary for my family to have to pursue this for so long, but the British army left our family with no alternative. Had they had the courage and moral decency to tell the truth in 1975, then this process would not have been necessary.

“Today my family fondly remembers Leo for what he was: an innocent, good-hearted, happy go-lucky teenage boy.”

She added: “We hope every family who has suffered loss as a result of the Troubles gets justice and peace.”

The Norney family solicitor, Fearghal Shiels of Madden & Finucane, said the ruling showed that the inquest system was fit for purpose in exposing wrongful state killings.

“This is another clear illustration that the inquest system continues to work for families seeking the truth as to how their loved ones died,” he said.

“It is an open and transparent process where documents are scrutinised and witnesses are publicly examined against all of the available independent and objective evidence.

“Today’s findings are not unique. It is the latest in a series of inquests in which unlawful state killings have been exposed and state cover ups unravelled and no one needs to look any further for the true reason why the British Government is intent in pushing through legislation to end other similar inquests.”

The UK government is currently trying to pass The Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill into law.

The legislation would end future civil cases and inquests in relation to crimes committed in the Troubles, if the perpetrators co-operated with a truth-recovery body.

The House of Lords voted to remove a clause that would give protection from prosecution to perpetrators of crime but the government has stated its continued determination to pass the Bill, despite opposition from victims groups, Stormont political parties and the Irish government.