A TROUBLES LEGACY body is appealing for information about the deaths of a milkman and his son who were fatally injured when their milk float crashed after it was attacked during rioting in Belfast linked to 1981 hunger strikes.

The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) has opened a fresh investigation into the deaths of 45-year-old Eric Guiney and his 14-year-old son Desmond.

The pair were travelling along the Antrim Road in north Belfast shortly after 6am on 5 May 1981 when their milk float was struck by bricks and other missiles.

Disorder had erupted in the area following the announcement of IRA prisoner and hunger striker Bobby Sands’ death hours earlier.

During the attack, the float crashed into a concrete lamp post at the junction of Duncairn Avenue, opposite the New Lodge Road.

Emergency crews, already in the area dealing with a fire at the nearby Phoenix Bar, attempted to reach the injured father and son while still being pelted with missiles.

Desmond died from his injuries three days later.

Eric died on 13 May, the day after attending his son’s funeral.

The family has now asked the ICRIR to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack.

As part of the investigation, the ICRIR will distribute posters and carry out a leaflet drop in the local area.

The Commission continues to operate while new UK legislation progresses through Parliament that will eventually replace it with separate bodies for investigations and information retrieval.