THE SON of a man cut down by the British army in the Ballymurphy massacre has rejected as “an insult” a controversial plan to pay £12,000 to the families of all those killed in the Troubles.

Paul Teggart’s father Danny was shot 14 times when the Parachute Regiment ran amok in Ballymurphy in August 1971, killing 11 innocent people over the course of three days.

“I would class the £12,000 as an insult to the memory of our loved ones. There is no price you can put on someone's life,” Paul said yesterday. 

“Money has never been part of our campaign, our campaign is for truth and justice and the acknowledgment that our victims were innocent people. Compensation has never been an issue to us and this offer is an insult.”

Victims’ group Relatives for Justice says that too much focus has been placed on the idea of cash payments by the Consultative Group on the Past, which is expected to make the recommendation in a report due to be published on Wednesday.

“As we collectively attempt to find an agreed way forward in terms of a truth recovery process, the singular focus on the money is not helpful to achieving that aim,” said RFJ’s Mark Thompson.