Soldier F trial told military accounts ‘flawed’

A military witness gave “fundamentally flawed” accounts of shooting on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry, a defence lawyer has claimed at the trial of Soldier F.

Mark Mulholland KC was referring to statements made in 1972 by Soldier G, who is now deceased.

His statements, along with those of Soldier H, who has refused to testify, are crucial elements of the prosecution case.

Soldier F is on trial at Belfast Crown Court for the murders of James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 26, two of the 13 victims of Bloody Sunday.

The two men were among 13 people who were shot dead by the Parachute Regiment at a civil rights demonstration in the Bogside area of Derry in January 1972.

He is also charged with five counts of attempted murder.

The former paratrooper has entered pleas of not guilty to all the charges.

On Tuesday at Belfast Crown Court, Mr Mulholland continued to argue an application to have the case dismissed.

Mr Mulholland stated that it “beggar’s belief” that Soldier G’s accounts are to be considered reliable.

At this stage of the trial, it is “essential” to revisit the evidence, he told judge Patrick Lynch.

Mr Mulholland pointed out inconsistencies between several statements Soldier G made to the Royal Military Police and the Widgery Inquiry over the course of a number of weeks.

Soldier G first stated he and Soldier F had fired at two people at Glenfada Park North, each hitting one.

He then claimed there were three people shot at and that he, Soldier G, may have struck all of them.

Finally, he stated it was “quite possible” Soldier F shot the third man “who I was not observing”.

The army veteran, who went on trial on 15 September, is listening to proceedings from behind a curtain in a corner of the courtroom.

His identity is protected by court order.

The case is being heard by a judge sitting without a jury.

The trial continues.

Soldier F is a former British soldier who served with the Army’s Parachute Regiment in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

He cannot be named due to an interim court order granting his anonymity.

The decision to charge Soldier F was taken by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in 2019.

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

But he was the only one charged.

Two years later, the PPS dropped the case after the collapse of the trial of two other veterans who had been accused of a 1972 murder in Belfast.

But the prosecution resumed in 2022 after a legal challenge.