Kathleen Thompson inquest: Ex-soldier 'did not hear any shooting'

Kathleen Thompson, 47, was killed outside her home in Creggan in Londonderry in November 1971

A former soldier has told an inquest into the death of a Londonderry woman shot dead during an Army operation in 1971 that he did not hear any shooting.

The soldier, identified only as KTM 1046, was giving evidence to the inquest of Kathleen Thompson.

The mother of six was shot dead in the garden of her Creggan home during an Army raid on 6 November 1971.

An inquest into her death returned an open verdict in 1972. The attorney general ordered a new inquest in 2013.

It began in 2018, but it was adjourned to allow time to trace three soldiers.

At the hearing on Monday, the former soldier recalled the Army operation on the night of 5 November and 6 November.

He said he was a platoon commander and his job was to provide cover out in the countryside alongside the Creggan estate.

'Raucous noises'

The witness said that during the operation he could hear "raucous noises" including the banging of dustbin lids and shouting.

The former soldier was asked had he heard any "weapons discharged" on the night in question and KTM 1046 said that he had not.

He was also asked would he have been "aware to the sound of gunfire" given that it was a large-scale operation and he replied that he would have been.

It was put to the witness that it was accepted there was at least more than one shot fired on the night, but KTM 1046 said he had no recollection of hearing any shots.

He said he could not recall hearing about the death of Kathleen Thompson until he was contacted by the Coroner's service in 2019.

The witness was asked about evidence that shots were fired in the direction where he believed he was and CS gas was fired in response.

He said he would have had to give orders for either live rounds or gas to be fired, and he had not given any such order.

Another witness, who is identified only as KTM 602, told the inquest he could not remember "any chat" about Kathleen Thompson being shot.

The former soldier said he would have expected if anyone had been shot there would have been "talk all over the camp".

However, he said he had no recollection of hearing anything about Kathleen Thompson.

The hearing continues.