The family of a 25-year-old Newry man shot dead by soldiers more than 50 years ago have been granted a fresh inquest into the killing.
Robert Anderson was one of three men killed by members of the British army in October 1971.
The soldiers had been lying in wait on a rooftop expecting an IRA bomb attack on a bank in the town.
Mr Anderson, along with friends Sean Ruddy, 19, and Thomas McLaughlin, 27, had been out for a drink together and were shot close to the bank.
A legacy investigation found it happened as they made a spur of the moment attempt to grab bar takings from two staff who were lodging them at a night safe.
None of the three was armed.
The killings sparked outrage in the border town and led to days of rioting. 15,000 people are reported to have attended the funerals.
Northern Ireland's Attorney General had resisted the granting of a fresh inquest.
But after a legal challenge by Mr Anderson’s solicitors, she reversed that decision and granted the fresh inquest.
This morning, relatives of Mr Anderson said they had a range of emotions on the granting of the inquest.
"We never thought we’d get to this day. Mummy was supposed to talk today but she’s not fit. So grief is very real to her today," said Michelle Osborne, a niece of Mr Anderson.
"We’re angry, we’re bitter, but there’s relief too, that we’ve got to this part of it."
She said she did not know whether the soldiers who shot her uncle were still alive, but hoped if they were they could be compelled to come to court and give an account of their actions.
She acknowledged that time was running short on legacy inquests.
The UK government’s controversial legacy bill contains a clause which says if Troubles inquests are not concluded by May 2024, they will be moved to a new information recovery process.
That is a proposal which is roundly opposed by all sides in Northern Ireland.
Ms Osborne said the family had never had any contact with the British Ministry of Defence, they had not been compensated, nor had anyone from the MoD apologised to them over what had happened.
Gavin Booth of Phoenix Law, which is representing the Anderson family, said the UK government’s legacy bill had still not passed into law and while time was short the case could run to a conclusion.
He said central to that would be the speed with which the MoD and the PSNI handed over relevant documentation from their archives.
"No family should be denied access to the courts and as of today the courts remain open for business."
