Soldier F walks free from Bloody Sunday murders

The brothers of Bloody Sunday victim William McKinney, Mickey (left) John (centre) and Joe (right) arrive at Belfast Crown Court on Thursday (Liam McBurney/PA) Liam McBurney

A former paratrooper known as Soldier F has been found not guilty of two murders and five attempted murders on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972. Judge Patrick Lynch at Belfast Crown Court said the evidence against the veteran fell "well short" of what was required for conviction after a four-week non-jury trial.

The judge delivered harsh criticism of Parachute Regiment members who shot dead unarmed civilians during the civil rights demonstration. He said those involved should "hang their heads in shame" and had "totally lost all sense of military discipline" when they opened fire at civilians from 50 metres or less in Glenfada Park North.

Evidence concerns lead to acquittal

Soldier F had been accused of murdering James Wray and William McKinney, and attempting to murder Michael Quinn, Patrick O'Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and an unknown person. The prosecution's case relied solely on statements from two other veterans, Soldiers G and H, which the judge found fundamentally unreliable.

Judge Lynch said the two witnesses were "themselves, on the basis of the Crown case guilty of murder as, in essence, accomplices with a motivation to name F as a participant in their murderous activities". He found they had been "serially untruthful about matters central to events giving rise to this prosecution".

Historical context and court proceedings

Thirteen people were killed when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on the civil rights demonstration, marking one of the darkest days of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Soldier F attended each day of the trial with his identity concealed behind a curtain, while relatives of the victims and supporters gathered in the packed public gallery.

The judge emphasised there was no concept of "collective guilt" in the courts despite his criticism of the regiment's actions. He said the Crown had failed to establish that Soldier F was "knowingly and intentionally assisting in the shootings, with intent to kill, or was shooting himself with that intention".

Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).