"He was the only victim in this" - the killing of John Pat Cunningham

Dennis Hutchings was buried on Thursday in Devon with full military honours and applause.The 80 year old died in Belfast after contracting Covid-19 while he was in the city to face trial for the shooting of John Pat Cunningham in 1974.Mr Cunningham, who was 27, was a vulnerable adult with learning difficulties who was afraid of soldiers.Mr Hutchings has become a figurehead for the campaign backing the UK government’s controversial proposals to introduce a statute of limitations for Troubles-era crimes.But in that debate John Pat Cunningham's name has largely been forgotten, according to his nephew Charlie Agnew.On today's podcast, Charlie tells Conor Pope that his uncle John Pat was the only real victim in this decades-old tragedy.And Freya McClements explains the story and how the issue of prosecuting veterans has become a toxic issue in Northern Ireland and in British politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.