A former British army paratrooper, known only as Soldier F, is set to stand trial in Belfast on Monday charged with two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder related to the Bloody Sunday massacre in Londonderry in 1972. The charges stem from the killing of James Wray and William McKinney, and the attempted murder of five others during a civil rights protest in the Bogside area.
Soldier F has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The trial, which will be heard by a single judge without a jury, marks the culmination of a 53-year campaign for justice by the families of the victims. Bloody Sunday saw British paratroopers open fire on unarmed protesters, killing 13 people on the day and a 14th later from injuries.
An initial inquiry by Lord Widgery in 1972 cleared the soldiers of wrongdoing, but a later investigation by Lord Saville in 2010 concluded the killings were unjustified. The British government subsequently apologised. Soldier F was granted anonymity after his lawyers argued he would be a target for dissident republicans if identified.
At a pre-trial hearing, Soldier F's legal team argued there was insufficient evidence, but the judge ruled there was enough to proceed, noting evidence that soldiers in Glenfada Park acted unlawfully by firing high-velocity rifles at unarmed civilians in a confined courtyard. The case is expected to be closely watched by families, veterans' groups, and the Irish and British governments, who are currently discussing repealing the Legacy Act, which aimed to end prosecutions for Troubles-era offences.
