Kathleen Thompson: Ex-soldier has 'no memory' of 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 has no recollection of her killing.

The soldier was giving evidence on the second day of the resumed inquest into the death 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.

The witness told the hearing that Mrs Thompson's name "meant nothing to him".

The former soldier, identified only as KTM 461, said he served in the Royal Green Jackets based in Ballykelly, County Londonderry, from April 1971 until March 1973.

He told the inquest he believed he had a good memory but had no recollection of the incident in which Mrs Thompson was shot dead.

KTM 461 said there was "a strong possibility" he was not in Derry on the date as he believed he would have remembered the shooting of a woman.

He told the hearing he could recall two incidents where shots had been fired by British soldiers.

The witness said one incident had been on Derry's walls and the other in the city's Bogside, when he said they had been fired upon and fire had been returned.

'No memory of incident'

Responding to questions from a barrister for the Thompson family, KTM 461 agreed the shooting of Mrs Thompson in her own backyard was not "a usual incident".

He added he had no memory of any talk of the shooting among his colleagues and said the name meant nothing to him.

The former soldier said he had no memory of the incident.

He also told the hearing that prior to being contacted by the Coroner's service he had been visited by what he believed to be two soldiers from Belfast in reference to the shooting.

The witness said two men he believed to be from the Army called to his house shortly after he received a letter from the Coroner's office.

They showed identity cards and told him he would be contacted about the death of Kathleen Thompson, he told the hearing.

The witness said there were no details discussed and the men engaged in some "idle chit chat".

He said he had also received another call from an officer offering him help and advice.

'Cannot recall night she died'

Earlier the hearing heard another former soldier deny he was "a brick in the wall of silence and lies" surrounding Mrs Thompson's death.

Identified as KTM 707, he told the inquest he could not recall the shooting of Mrs Thompson nor could he recall the operation on the night she died.

He said he could not recall Rathlin Drive in Creggan nor any search and arrest operations in built-up areas.

He was asked about firing his weapon and said in nine years service he had only fired two rounds and that was during a riot in Derry.

Under cross-examination from the Thompson family's lawyer, the former soldier said he could not recall who was in his class at school nor who his teacher was, let alone recall what happened on the night Kathleen Thompson was shot dead.

The hearing continues.