The murder trial of a former paratrooper, known as Soldier F, has begun in Belfast, with prosecutors alleging that soldiers disgraced the British army by using 'unjustified' and 'gratuitous' force against unarmed civilians on Bloody Sunday. Soldier F faces two counts of murder and five of attempted murder in connection with the shootings in Derry on 30 January 1972, when the Parachute Regiment killed 13 civil rights protesters.
In his opening statement at Belfast Crown Court, prosecutor Louis Mably KC said the case would focus on shootings in a courtyard at Glenfada Park. He told the court that civilians were running away from soldiers when they were shot, and that the use of force was 'unnecessary' and 'gratuitous'. Mably said: 'Shooting people as they ran away – an act which disgraced the British army.' He added that soldiers had falsely claimed the victims were armed, calling that 'demonstrably false'.
Soldier F, a former lance corporal, has pleaded not guilty. He is being tried without a jury before Judge Patrick Lynch. Relatives of the victims, who have campaigned for decades for justice, described the trial as momentous. John McKinney, brother of victim William McKinney, said: 'It has taken 53 years to get to this point, and we have battled all the odds.'
The trial comes after the 2010 Saville Inquiry concluded the killings were 'unjustified and unjustifiable', and the government under David Cameron apologised. The case is being watched closely by the Irish and British governments, which are discussing reforms to the Legacy Act, aimed at addressing Troubles-era killings.
