Bloody Sunday Army accounts 'consistent' on Soldier F firing, court told

Soldier F is accused of murdering James Wray (left) and William McKinney

Military witness statements represent "direct evidence" that Soldier F opened fire on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972, a prosecution lawyer has told the army veteran's trial.

Louis Mably KC was responding to a defence application to have the case dismissed over statements made at the time by Soldier G and Soldier H.

He said their statements are "consistent" on Soldier F shooting his rifle, adding that the "evidence was repeated by each witness on different occasions, including on oath".

Soldier F is on trial at Belfast Crown Court for the murders of James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 26, two of the 13 victims of Bloody Sunday.

The two men were among 13 people who were shot dead by the Parachute Regiment at a civil rights demonstration in the Bogside area of Derry in January 1972.

He is also charged with five counts of attempted murder.

The former paratrooper has entered pleas of not guilty to all the charges.

'Fundamentally flawed'

The statements of Soldier G, now deceased, and Soldier H, who has refused to testify, are crucial to the prosecution, but the defence has argued they are "fundamentally flawed".

Defence lawyer Mark Mulholland KC claimed Soldier H is a "liar" and a "fabricator".

He added that it "beggar's belief" that Soldier G's accounts are to be considered reliable.

At this stage of the trial, it is "essential" to revisit the evidence, he told judge Patrick Lynch KC.

Mr Mulholland pointed out inconsistencies between several statements Soldier G made to the Royal Military Police and the Widgery Inquiry over the course of a number of weeks.

Soldier G first stated he and Soldier F had fired at two people at Glenfada Park North, each hitting one.

He then claimed there were three people shot at and that he, Soldier G, may have struck all of them.

Finally, he stated it was "quite possible" Soldier F shot the third man "who I was not observing".

In response, Mr Mably accepted that their statements contained "unsatisfactory aspects", including the soldiers' claims that civilians were armed.

He claimed the "inconsistencies" were down to them trying to "justify their own wrongdoing".

But, he argued, the statement evidence is "sufficient" to demonstrate Soldier F opened fire.

"For all their unsatisfactory aspects, there is a core of consistency on Soldier F," he stated.

Judge Lynch said he would make his ruling on the defence application to have the case dismissed on Thursday.

Soldier F, who went on trial on 15 September, is listening to proceedings from behind a curtain in a corner of the courtroom.

His identity is protected by court order.

The trial continues.

Who is Soldier F?

Soldier F is 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.

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.