Bloody Sunday witness feared he would be shot, trial hears

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

A number of statements made by Bloody Sunday witnesses have been read out at the trial of Soldier F, who denies murdering two of the 13 people shot dead by the Army.

Soldier F is accused of murdering James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 26, as well as five counts of attempted murder in 1972.

One of the statements was made by Hugh O'Boyle, who said he feared being shot by a soldier who aimed a rifle at him in Glenfada Park North in Londonderry.

As a 24 year old, he had attended the civil rights march in January 1972 which preceded the shooting.

Soldier F is further accused of attempting to murder Patrick O'Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon, Michael Quinn and an unknown person.

The case is being heard by a judge sitting without a jury at Belfast Crown Court.

The former paratrooper, whose identity remains protected by a court order, has entered pleas of not guilty.

He also denies the 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 Londonderry.

About 15 others were wounded.

'Time stood still'

In his statement read to the court on Monday, Mr O'Boyle described moving away from "low-key" rioting which broke out when the march stopped at an Army barricade.

He recalled hearing gunfire and then going into Glenfada Park North where three bodies lay "crumpled" on the ground.

He said his "impression was that they were all dead".

"They were so very still, there was absolutely no movement from them at all," he added.

Mr O'Boyle said he crouched down and hid behind a parked car with several other people.

He told the court he heard more shooting and "dared not put my head up".

"I was afraid anyone that moved would be shot," Mr O'Boyle said.

He said "time stood still", before a soldier told them to come out with their hands up.

"The soldier used his gun to motion us forward. I was convinced he was about to shoot us."

Mr O'Boyle said he was "marched" out of the courtyard and felt "safe" when he came into the sight of a news cameraman.

'Bodies going down'

A statement from Patrick Bradley was also read out to the court.

He recounted helping one man who was wounded at Glenfada Park North, Joseph Friel, who fell forwards after he "heard bangs".

"There was blood. I realised he had been hit by a live round."

Written evidence of another man, Joseph Donnelly, recalled bullets "bouncing off the fence".

He helped tend to one of those who had been fatally wounded, Michael Kelly.

Eamonn McAteer was also at the scene.

He said he heard several "extremely loud bangs" and then "bodies going down".

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.