Julian O’Neill News NI crime and justice correspondent
The army veteran Soldier F is set to go on trial on Monday, accused of murdering two people on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972.
The former paratrooper, whose identity remains protected by a court order, has entered pleas of not guilty.
He also denies five counts of attempted murder.
Thirteen people were shot dead by the Parachute Regiment when it opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in the Bogside area of the city. About 15 others were wounded.
The non-jury trial, which is scheduled to last a number of weeks, is taking place at Belfast Crown Court.
Soldier F is charged with the murders of James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 27.
He is further accused of attempting to murder Patrick O’Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon, Michael Quinn and an unknown person.
Bloody Sunday families and supporters are travelling to Belfast by bus and will then walk a short distance in a procession to court.
Tony Doherty, chair of the Bloody Sunday Trust, said: “This day is a tribute to the strength of the families, whose indefatigable campaign for justice has made this happen.”
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.
The key evidence in the Soldier F case is statements given by other soldiers at the time of Bloody Sunday.
The trial judge is likely to decide at an early stage if they are admissible.
Who is Soldier F?
- 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
- Soldier F is being prosecuted for the murders of William McKinney and James Wray on Bloody Sunday
- He also faces charges of attempting to murder Patrick O’Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon, Michael Quinn and an unknown person on the same date
