In defending his murder of two innocent Catholics on their way to do a day's work, Billy Hutchinson told me that he had no choice - he was effectively a creature of his circumstances in 1974. This afternoon a relative of the slain men contacted me. 1/3 https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/inside-self-deception-unrepentant-killer-needs-stay-sane-what-price-ex-uvf-man-billy-hutchinson-admits-my-life-full-contradictions-3058552

The relative of Michael Loughran & Edward Eric Morgan said something which speaks to the question of choice & personal responsibility. He said that after the murders none of the family turned to the IRA to retaliate & instead one joined the police to try to prevent more death.2/3

He also pointed me to these old pictures of Michael (19) & Eric (27) (via http://www.belfasthistoryproject.com/the-troubles/?fbclid=IwAR1F8eHWacyxXNcL6GzApjehRTmV_Se7Ut5A2yobP7d1frgRLWpa7-eF7pQ). It's the first time I've seen a picture of Eric. He had been in the Merchant Navy but had come back to Belfast to make a tissue donation to a relative who needed a transplant. 3/3