Soldier F faces no case hearing over Bloody Sunday

A former paratrooper known as Soldier F is on trial at Belfast Crown Court, sitting without a jury, charged with the murders of James Wray (22) and William McKinney (26) and five counts of attempted murder for shootings during Bloody Sunday in January 1972; his identity is protected by a court order and he has pleaded not guilty. The prosecution relies on contemporaneous statements from fellow soldiers saying shots were fired in Glenfada Park North that indicate Soldier F opened fire, and describes the shootings as unjustified, unnecessary and gratuitous. Defence lawyers have applied for the case to be dismissed in a "no case to answer" application, arguing key military evidence is unreliable and pointing to multiple inconsistent accounts by Soldier G (now deceased) and to Soldier H’s refusal to testify and statements that he did not recall seeing Soldier F firing. Civilian witness Denis McLaughlin gave evidence that he saw a soldier lift a rifle and fire in the courtyard, and the parties have presented agreed facts including post-mortem examinations of Wray and McKinney and that Soldier F was interviewed by police in 2016. The judge will next consider the defence’s application as legal teams continue to dispute the probative value of the soldiers’ accounts central to the prosecution case.