Soldier F found not guilty of murder and attempted murder

A former member of the Parachute Regiment has been found not guilty of murder and attempted murder in Londonderry on Bloody Sunday in 1972.

Thirteen people were shot dead and at least 15 others injured on Bloody Sunday in January 1972 during a civil rights demonstration in the Bogside area of ​​Derry.

Soldier F, whose identity has been protected by court order, faces charges of murdering James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 26, as well as five counts of attempted murder.

The judge said that members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on unarmed civilians as they fled, but the evidence against Soldier F was far less than what was needed for a conviction.

Members of the Parachute Regiment who entered Glenfada North Park on Bloody Sunday had “completely lost all sense of military discipline”, Judge Patrick Lynch told Belfast Crown Court.

The judge said that they opened fire on “unarmed civilians who were running away from them in the streets of a British city.”

He added: “The officials should hang their heads in shame.”

William McKinney’s brother, Mickey, said outside court that the rulings marked “the end of Soldier F’s trial for murder and attempted murder of innocent people on Bloody Sunday.”

“The families, the injured, and their supporters leave the courtroom feeling incredibly proud of our accomplishments,” he said.

Liam Ray, Jim Wray’s brother, welcomed the judge’s criticism of the soldiers on Bloody Sunday, adding that it was a “tough, sad and emotional” day for the family.

He said justice was not served, but he “appreciates the difficulties the judge faced in this case.”

“It brings you back to horror [Bloody Sunday]“To the wounds Jim sustained, the situation, the fear, the horror,” he said.

Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner David Johnston said the trial highlighted the “profound pain” events that occurred 50 years ago and continue to cause.

He said that the families of Bloody Sunday, and all the families who lost relatives in the unrest, “are still suffering from pain,” adding, “We must not forget that day.”

Speaking outside the court, Paul Young, of the Northern Ireland Veterans Movement, said veterans across the UK who served in Northern Ireland “honourably and courageously” would be “relieved” by the rulings.

“Soldiers were hunted down, old soldiers were hunted down, and I remember Dennis Hutchings who was here in this very court and died trying to clear his name,” Young says.

Mr Hutchings died in October 2021 while on trial for the fatal shooting of John Pat Cunningham in County Tyrone in 1974.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill said it was “deeply disappointing” that the families of Bloody Sunday faced a “continued denial of justice”.

“For more than five decades, they have campaigned with dignity and resilience for justice for their loved ones, their sons, their fathers, their uncles and their brothers,” the Sinn Féin deputy leader said.

She added: “I express my full solidarity with the families and the wider Derry community who will be hurting today.”

Foyle Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP) MP Colum Eastwood said it was a “difficult day” for the families of Bloody Sunday, but said they could “hold their heads high”.

“It is quite clear that these soldiers, including Soldier F, shot and killed people on Bloody Sunday,” Eastwood said.

“These were innocent people, they didn’t have weapons, they were just marching for civil rights, and they were crushed by the British Army’s Parachute Regiment. That’s what happened and that’s quite clear.”

He added: “Everyone now knows what happened on Bloody Sunday.” “Everyone knows the victims were innocent, and everyone knows where the guilt really lies.”

Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson said he welcomed the “sensible judgement”.

Robinson said the trial was a “long, painful process.”

“There has to be a better way to deal with the legacy of the past and ensure it is not rewritten,” he said.

Doug Beattie of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) said questions should be asked about how the case proceeded when “the evidence was clearly flawed”.

“Once again, those who work in our judicial system must answer the questions… They knew, without a doubt, that the evidence was unsafe and could not be relied upon in court,” Beatty said.

Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) MP Jim Allister said Private F’s acquittal was “very welcome”, but it also “raises the fundamental question of why this veteran has been subjected to the ordeal of the last few years”.

Conservative Shadow Defense Secretary James Cartledge said he recognized the pain caused by the Troubles in Northern Ireland, but said the ruling in Private F’s trial “must now draw a line under this long-running case”.

Cartledge added: “I hope we can persuade the government to acknowledge the questions raised by cases that rely on evidence dating back half a century.”

The British government said it took note of Thursday’s ruling, adding that the Ministry of Defense “provided legal and welfare support throughout.”

“This case is part of the complex legacy of the Troubles, which has affected many families and communities.

A government spokesman said: “We are committed to finding a way forward that acknowledges the past, while supporting those who served their country during an extremely difficult period in Northern Ireland’s history.”

A public inquiry, which concluded in 2010, concluded that none of the people killed posed any threat to the army.

Private F is the only military veteran to be tried for the shooting.

The five counts of attempted murder relate to two teenagers at the time, 16-year-old Joe Mahon and 17-year-old Michael Quinn, as well as Joseph Friel, who was 20, Patrick O’Donnell, 41, and an unknown person.

The case was heard by a judge sitting without a jury at Belfast Crown Court.

The trial began on September 15 and lasted five weeks.

To protect his identity, Soldier F has been hidden from public view and his name has not been revealed, as a result of a court order.

The Public Prosecution made the decision to charge Soldier F in 2019.

He was one of 18 former soldiers reported to the Crown Prosecution Service as a result of the police investigation, which followed the public inquiry into Bloody Sunday conducted by Lord Savile.

But he was the only accused.

Two years later, PPS The case was dropped After the collapse of the trial of two other war veterans accused of a 1972 murder in Belfast.

but The trial resumed in 2022 After a legal challenge.