Troubles veteran soldier appeals to May to stop trial for 1974 killing
A former British soldier charged in connection with the fatal shooting of an unarmed man with learning difficulties in Northern Ireland has appealed to the prime minister to intervene to end his prosecution.
Army veteran Dennis Hutchings, 77, from Cawsand Torpoint in Cornwall, is charged in relation to the fatal shooting of John Pat Cunningham in disputed circumstances in Co Armagh in 1974.
The former soldier is reportedly unwell, suffering from heart and kidney conditions.
Mr Hutchings’ lawyer, Philip Barden, has written to Theresa May on his behalf to say the retired soldier ‘needs your help’, and to request a meeting, the Daily Mail reported.
The letter also expressed concern that politicians were “washing their hands of their responsibilities” to soldiers posted in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.
In his letter, Mr Barden described Mr Hutchings’ treatment as “an unlawful denial of liberty and cause of mental distress … a form of torture.”
A bid to halt the trial was rejected at Belfast Crown Court earlier this month.