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A former British soldier, who cannot be named due to an interim court order granting him anonymity, pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering two men on Bloody Sunday more than half a century ago. Soldier F is accused of two murders and five attempted murders when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights protestors in Londonderry on 30 January 1972. Thirteen people were shot dead and at least 15 more were injured when soldiers opened fire in the Bogside.
In June, lawyers for Soldier F had argued that the evidence against him was insufficient and applied to have the case against him dismissed ahead of his trial. However, Judge Mr. Justice Fowler dismissed the application at Belfast Crown Court on Friday. Lawyers for the former soldier are relying on statements from two other soldiers made at the time as key evidence. The judge ruled these statements provided “a sufficiency of evidence” to continue with the case.
Protected from public view by a large curtain pulled across a corner of the courtroom, Soldier F replied “not guilty” when each of the seven charges was put to him. Mr. Justice Fowler also ruled that Soldier F’s anonymity would continue to be protected, as there is a risk he could be targeted for attack if identified. A date for Soldier F’s trial will be decided early in the New Year.
Speaking outside the court, William McKinney’s brother Mickey said “another step” had been taken in the campaign for justice for the Bloody Sunday families. He was pleased that Soldier F’s application was rejected and that he will now proceed rightly to trial. However, the trial judge’s decision to grant anonymity to Soldier F disappointed them. The Bloody Sunday Trust (BST) welcomed the ruling but said there would be “widespread disappointment” that Soldier F’s anonymity would remain in place.
The decision on whether to prosecute Soldier F involved several legal challenges and U-turns. Prosecutors weighed up 125,000 pages of material and sent Soldier F to trial for the murders of Mr. Wray and Mr. McKinney, as well as several attempted murders. However, in 2021, prosecutors backed out of the case after the trial of two other Army veterans who were accused of another Troubles-era killing collapsed. The families of the Bloody Sunday victims said it was a “damning indictment of the British justice system”, and the legal challenge against the decision was successful. The prosecution was resumed and later that year Soldier F was returned for trial in December 2023, which his lawyers subsequently challenged in June.
This hearing was the first time Soldier F had appeared in court in person since being charged. The SDLP MP for Foyle, Colum Eastwood, who was in court on Friday, described the ruling as “another step forward in the long campaign for justice for the Bloody Sunday families.” He said, “None of this is easy for the families.” In March 2019, prosecutors sent Soldier F to trial for the murders of Mr. Wray and Mr. McKinney, as well as several attempted murders, while weighing up 125,00 pages of material. At present, the date of the trial is yet to be decided
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