Hundreds gather to support Bloody Sunday and Hegarty families

Relatives of those who died on Bloody Sunday addressed the crowd outside Derry's Guildhall

Hundreds have gathered in Londonderry protesting the decision not to bring two Army veterans to trial for their actions during the Troubles.

Soldier F and Soldier B had been due to face prosecution on murder charges.

Soldier F had been due to be prosecuted over the deaths of James Wray and William McKinney on Bloody Sunday 1972 and five counts of attempted murder.

The case against Soldier B relates to the shooting of 15-year-old Daniel Hegarty in Derry in July 1972.

It also relates to the wounding of his cousin, Christopher.

• What happened on Bloody Sunday?

• Bloody Sunday: The victims

• Why did prosecutors drop cases against ex-soldiers?

• Reaction to dropping of Troubles soldiers' cases

• Why Troubles legacy cases are very problematic

James Wray and William McKinney were among 13 people shot dead at a civil rights march

Thirteen people were shot dead and 15 were wounded when the Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators on Bloody Sunday in the city.

The event outside the city's Guildhall on Saturday was addressed by relatives of those who had been killed.

Tony Doherty, whose father Paddy was killed on Bloody Sunday, told BBC News NI: "It's profoundly disappointing and this has caused a lot on anger on the streets of Derry.

"We're not sure where we can go. The decision appears to have a ring of finality about it, although there is talk of a judicial review."

Mr Doherty said the decision had "profound implications" for many other families seeking justice.

Daniel Hegarty, 15, was shot dead by a soldier during Operation Motorman in 1972

A review of the cases involving the two veterans was prompted by the collapse of a trial in Belfast in May involving two other veterans charged in relation to the Troubles.

They had been accused of the murder of IRA man Joe McCann, but a court ruled that statements made by them were inadmissible and they were acquitted.

On Friday, the Public Prosecution Service said that given "related evidential features" between the Belfast and Derry cases, the conclusion reached was that "there was no longer a reasonable prospect of key evidence in proceedings against Soldier F and Soldier B being ruled admissible".

Therefore the test for prosecution was no longer considered met.

On Friday, the Bloody Sunday families described the decision as a "damning indictment of the British justice system".

An inquest in 2011 found Daniel Hegarty posed no risk and was shot without warning as the Army moved in to clear "no-go" areas during Operation Motorman.

Pre-trial proceedings against Soldier F had already commenced.

Discontinuing the prosecutions will involve a court hearing, which the PPS wants scheduled in coming days.

The Soldier B case had not yet progressed to court.