One former British paratrooper is to be charged in connection with the killings of civil rights demonstrators on Bloody Sunday. He has also been charged with the attempted murder of four men on the day.
Bloody Sunday was January 30th, 1972 when thirteen people were shot dead when soldiers opened fire on marchers during a civil rights march in Londonderry. It is known as one of the darkest days of Northern Ireland Troubles. 15 people were also injured in the incident.
Around 15,000 people gathered in the Creggan area of Derry on the morning of January 30, 1972 to have part in a civil rights march. Five months earlier in August 1971 a law was introduced giving the authorities the power to imprison people without trial – internment. The government had decided that it was the only way it could restore order. Thousands gathered in Derry in January 1972 to large meeting organised by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association to protest at internment. The government had banned these types of protests and troops were deployed to police the march.
The march began not long after 15:00 GMT and the destination were the city centre however, the army barricades blocked marchers. The majority of marchers were directed towards Free Derry Corner in the Bogside. After a while the army moved in to make arrests.
Just before 16:00 GMT stones were thrown and soldiers responded with rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon. Two men were shot and wounded. At 16:07 GMT, paratroopers moved to arrest as many marchers as possible. At 16:10 GMT, soldiers began to open fire. According to the Army evidence, 21 soldiers fired their weapons, this means there was 108 live rounds between them.
The shootings led to anger in Derry and the British Embassy in Dublin was burned to the ground by an angry crowd.
Victims’ families have waited 47 years to see if there would be prosecutions. They concluded that one soldier, Soldier F, will be charged for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney. Soldier F also faces charges for the attempted murders of Patrick O’Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and Michael Quinn. The PPS said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute 16 other soldiers and two official IRA men.
Soldier F gave evidence anonymously to the Saville Inquiry in 2003 admitting firing 13 rounds on Bloody Sunday. At the Saville Inquiry, Soldier F admitted he had shot 17-year-old Michael Kelly, but he said he only fired at people with bombs or weapons. However, Saville concluded that Mr Kelly was unarmed.
The director of public prosecutions for Northern Ireland, Stephen Herron, said: “It has been concluded that there is sufficient available evidence to prosecute one former soldier, Soldier F, for the murder of James Wray and William McKinney, and for the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell.
“In respect of the other 18 suspects, including 16 former soldiers and two alleged Official IRA members, it has been concluded that the available evidence is insufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction.”
Herron added: “I am mindful that it has been a long road for the families to reach this point and today will be another extremely difficult day for them.
“There has been a level of expectation around the prosecution decisions in the light of the findings of the Bloody Sunday inquiry. However, much of the material which was available for consideration by the inquiry is not admissible in criminal proceedings due to strict rules of evidence that apply.
“We recognise the deep disappointment felt by many of those we met with today. As prosecutors, we are required to be wholly objective in our approach.”
Responding to the PPS decisions, the defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, said the government would foot the bill for the former paratrooper’s defence: “We are indebted to those soldiers who served with courage and distinction to bring peace to Northern Ireland. The welfare of our former service personnel is of the utmost importance and we will offer full legal and pastoral support to the individual affected by today’s decision. This includes funding all his legal costs and providing welfare support.
“The Ministry of Defence is working across government to drive through a new package of safeguards to ensure our armed forces are not unfairly treated.
“And the government will urgently reform the system for dealing with legacy issues. Our serving and former personnel cannot live in constant fear of prosecution.”
