A former paratrooper accused of murdering two civilians in the Bloody Sunday shootings in Northern Ireland 53 years ago has been found not guilty.
Soldier F – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – was accused of killing James Wray and William McKinney during disorder after a civil rights parade on 30 January 1972 in Londonderry, also known as Derry.
The veteran was also found not guilty of five attempted murders at Belfast Crown Court on Thursday.
Mickey McKinney, a brother of Bloody Sunday victim William McKinney, and solicitor Ciaran Shiels.
Pic: PA
He had denied all seven charges.
Thirteen people were shot dead by the Parachute Regiment on the day in question.
Soldier F did not give evidence, but the court heard about previous statements from two paratroopers – known as G and H – who were in Glenfada Park North along with F.
The prosecution said their testimony was direct evidence that the defendant had opened fire in the area.
However, the defence argued that they were unreliable witnesses as their statements were inconsistent with each other and with other witnesses who gave evidence.
The trial was held in Belfast in front of a judge, not a jury.
Delivering his judgment, Judge Patrick Lynch said the evidence presented against the veteran fell “well short” of what was needed for conviction.
Mickey McKinney, brother of William McKinney, one of those killed on Bloody Sunday, said outside court: “The families and wounded and our supporters leave this courthouse with an incredible sense of pride in our achievements.”
The Bloody Sunday families don’t blame the trial judge, he said, rather, “the blame lies firmly with the British state, with the RUC who failed to investigate the murders on Bloody Sunday properly, or indeed at all; and with the British Army who shielded and enabled its soldiers to continue to murder with impunity.
“Soldier F has been discharged from the defendant’s criminal dock, but it is one million miles away from being an honourable discharge.”
The families said they were going to continue their campaign, despite Thursday’s acquittal.
Ciaran Shiels, a solicitor who represents some of the families, said there was no right of appeal in the case.
They were waiting for a review from the Public Prosecution Service over alleged perjury and said they would push for a prosecution to be taken “without further delay,” he said.
Mr McKinney said: “We’re not finished yet. It’s a big one, we took them to the wire.”
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said she will continue to support the Bloody Sunday families in the “pursuit of justice”.
In a social media post, Ms O’Neill said the “continued denial of justice for the Bloody Sunday families is deeply disappointing” and “an affront to justice”.
Noting the judgement, a government spokesperson said: “The MOD has provided legal and welfare support throughout, as it does for any veteran involved in a legal process arising from their duties.
“This case is part of the complex legacy of the Troubles, which affected so many families and communities.
“We are committed to finding a way forward that acknowledges the past, whilst supporting those who served their country during an incredibly difficult period in Northern Ireland’s history.”
In the packed public gallery there was no visible reaction from relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims or those there to support the former paratrooper.
Veterans will welcome the acquittal, Northern Ireland veterans commissioner David Johnstone has said.
“It has become increasingly clear that the admissibility of certain types of evidence, particularly those based on decades old recollections, remains deeply problematic,” Mr Johnstone said.
“Soldier F has faced legal scrutiny in various forms for more than a quarter of a century, and it is my hope that today’s ruling by Judge Lynch brings that long and arduous process to a close.
Paul Young, national spokesman for the Northern Ireland Veterans Movement, said veterans would be “heartened by this verdict today”.
As people gathered outside the court shouted over him, he said: “I hope that there is no more soldiers brought to the courts here with evidence that has actually no way of going through”.
DUP Leader Gavin Robinson has said the verdict in relation to Soldier F represents a “clear and welcome outcome”.
He said the judge “cast doubt on evidence previously described as ‘decisive’ and highlights the difficulties inherent in taking forward a prosecution based on such problematic grounds.
“The vast majority of those who served in our Armed Forces did so with honour and often at great personal cost. There must be no rewriting of the past and we will continue to guard against all attempts to do so.”
Sinn Fein MP John Finucane said Bloody Sunday remains a “scar” on the city of Londonderry, also known as Derry.
Speaking outside court, Mr Finucane said he was “bitterly disappointed for all of the families who are here, those who were injured, for everybody in Derry.
“At the time there was no appetite to have any form of effective investigation into the murders, the multiple shootings which took place in 1972.
“The police had no interest, the British military had no interest, the fact that those soldiers who did give statements to the Royal Military Police told lies.”
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