Ex-soldier found not guilty over Bloody Sunday killings

A Belfast court has found a British soldier not guilty of murder in the only case involving a member of the UK armed forces over the killing of 13 unarmed Catholic civil rights marchers on 1972 “Bloody Sunday” in Northern Ireland.

The UK government apologized in 2010 for the “unjust and unjust” killings when members of the army’s elite Parachute Regiment opened fire in the predominantly Irish nationalist town of Londonderry in one of the defining moments in Northern Ireland’s recent history.

But all efforts to prosecute the soldiers have failed and relatives and supporters of the victims now believe the chances of a successful prosecution of the UK armed forces are remote.

Belfast Crown Court remained silent as the verdict was read.

The legally unidentified soldier, known as Soldier F, was in court but hid behind a blue curtain to protect his identity.

He was found not guilty of murdering two people and trying to kill five more.

Judge Patrick Lynch said in his ruling that he was satisfied the soldiers had lost all sense of military discipline and opened fire with intent to kill, and that “those responsible should hang their heads in shame”.

However, he said that the case fell short of the burden of proof.

“The delay, in my view, seriously hindered the defense’s ability to test the truth and accuracy of the hearsay statements,” he said.

“The evidence adduced by the Crown… clearly fails to meet the high standard of evidence required in a criminal case, namely proof beyond reasonable doubt.”

Mickey McKinney, the brother of William McKinney, one of the two victims named in the case, said he took responsibility for the failure to successfully prosecute any soldiers before the UK state.

“Trooper F was released from the defendant’s criminal court, but he’s a million miles away from an honorable release,” McKinney told reporters outside court.

Bloody Sunday became one of the defining events of the Troubles, three decades of sectarian violence involving nationalists seeking a united Ireland, unionists who wanted Northern Ireland to remain a province of the United Kingdom, and British forces.

The shootings increased suspicions of the authorities among the Catholic minority and prompted dozens of people to join the Irish Republican Army’s campaign of violence against UK rule.

Thirteen people, all unarmed Catholics, were killed when soldiers opened fire in the staunchly nationalist Bogside area of ​​Londonderry on 30 January 1972.

The 14th victim later died from his injuries the same day.

Soldiers said they opened fire on people armed with guns or nail bombs.

The peace agreement signed in 1998 largely ended the bloodshed.

Soldier F was not called to testify during the month-long trial without a jury.

Defense lawyers did not call any witnesses and said the substance of the case, namely military statements taken more than 50 years ago, was clearly unreliable and that no independent supporting evidence had been presented to support the prosecution’s case.

Earlier in the hearing, the court heard a brief statement that Troop F gave to police in 2016; In this statement he said that although he was confident that he had properly carried out his duties as a soldier that day, he no longer had a reliable memory of the events and was therefore unable to answer the officers’ questions.

In 2010, the UK government apologized for the killings after a judicial investigation concluded the victims were innocent and posed no threat to the military.

This investigation was launched by British prime minister Tony Blair in 1998 after the original investigation in 1972 found the paratroopers not guilty.

In a statement about the decision, the UK government said on Thursday it was “committed to finding a way forward that acknowledges the past while also supporting those who served their country during an incredibly difficult period in Northern Ireland’s history.”