John Pat Cunningham
Born
John Patrick Cunningham

c. 1947
Northern Ireland
Died15 June 1974 (aged 27)
Benburb, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Cause of deathGunshot wounds
Known forShot and killed while running away from soldiers

John Patrick Cunningham (c. 1947 – 15 June 1974) was a mentally handicapped Irish civilian who was shot and killed while running from British soldiers in a field near his home in Benburb in June 1974.

Personal life

John Pat Cunningham was born in c. 1947 in Northern Ireland.

He was described having the mental age between six and 10 years old, and was known to have been deeply afraid of soldiers.[1][2]

Killing

On 15 June 1974 John Pat Cunningham was walking home from church where he sometimes worked; while on his way home he encountered soldiers of the Life Guards in a truck.[2] Due to his fear of soldiers he ran into a near-by field in an attempt to flee.[1] Two soldiers in particular would fire at him Dennis Hutchings and a anonymous soldier known as "Soldier E".[3]

According to Soldier E, Hutchings got out of the truck first and ordered Cunningham to halt, and when he kept running he cocked his rifle and Hutchings fired three to four times and then "Soldier E" fired twice, three of which hit him in the back.[2][4][5] It's unknown who fired the final shot that actually killed Cunningham.

Trial

In 2017 Dennis Hutchings would be charged with the attempted murder of John Pat Cunningham. From November to October 2021 Hutchings would again face trial for attempted murder, but he could only stand trial for three days, as he required treatment for his chronic kidney disease.[1]

On 4 October 2021 Hutchings's trial was adjourned for three weeks after he was hospitalized due to kidney disease and Covid-19.[5] 12 days later on 18 October Hutchings would pass-away at the age of 80 from complications brought on by Covid-19.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "British army veteran on trial for Troubles killing dies with Covid-19". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  2. 1 2 3 "The killing of John Pat Cunningham in 1974". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  3. 1 2 "Dennis Hutchings: Ex-soldier on trial over Troubles shooting dies". BBC News. 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  4. ↑ "Dennis Hutchings tried to save life of man he was accused of trying to murder, his lawyer claims". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 2021-10-19. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  5. 1 2 "Dennis Hutchings: Ex-soldier denies attempted murder". BBC News. 2021-10-04. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
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