Troubles prosecutions not working, says PM
‘Change needed’ in system that could see elderly former soldiers being charged with murder
Prosecutions of Army veterans over deaths in Northern Ireland decades ago were “not working well”, Theresa May admitted yesterday. The Prime Minister’s remarks – made just a week before an announcement on possible charges over Bloody Sunday – will increase the pressure on the Government to protect soldiers from historical prosecutions. Mrs May was pressed by MPS over “attempts to prosecute” veterans for events up to 50 years ago.
PROSECUTIONS of army veterans over deaths in Northern Ireland decades ago are “not working well”, Theresa May admitted yesterday.
The Prime Minister’s remarks – made just a week before an announcement on possible charges over Bloody Sunday – will increase the pressure on the Government to protect soldiers from historical prosecutions.
Mrs May was pressed during Prime Minister’s Questions on MPS’ concerns over “attempts to prosecute” veterans for events up to 50 years ago and she faced demands to grant “greater legal protection”.
Mrs May told MPS: “The current system for dealing with the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past is not working well for anyone.
“The system to investigate the past does need to change to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the Troubles but also to ensure members of our Armed Forces and police are not unfairly treated.”
Hundreds of ex-soldiers are facing criminal inquiries with the row set to intensify next week when Northern Ireland prosecutors announce whether soldiers involved in Bloody Sunday – in which 14 demonstrators were shot and killed in 1972 – will be charged with murder and other offences.
Sources say a number of veterans are likely to be charged with murder. However, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in Northern Ireland has declined to confirm this. Relatives of victims of Bloody Sunday will be told on March 14 of the PPS decision before an announcement is made public.
The Government is currently holding a consultation on how to deal with so-called “legacy issues” over deaths during the Troubles. The responses, said Mrs May, will be published in due course.
Separately, Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, has unveiled plans to introduce a 10-year limit for prosecutions of soldiers to protect veterans from historical investigations.
Mr Williamson has described cases against servicemen as a “witch hunt” and has suggested the Bloody Sunday case “completely turns the stomach of the British people”.
Bloody Sunday remains one of the most notorious incidents of the Troubles. An inquiry by Lord Saville, which took 12 years and cost £200m, concluded that “immediate responsibility” for the death toll lay with paratroopers who had “lost control” and whose “unjustifiable firing” was the cause of the deaths.
But ministers have complained that a disproportionate number of former troops face prosecution because the Ministry of Defence has kept files on shootings while evidence against terrorist groups on both sides of the divide largely no longer exists.
Mrs May said yesterday that of the 3,500 people killed during the Troubles, terrorists were responsible for 90 per cent of the deaths. She also pointed out that hundreds of soldiers and police had lost their lives.
The Prime Minister will come under ferocious criticism if troops are charged over Bloody Sunday and will be under pressure to change the laws to give veterans amnesty. The soldiers facing charges over Bloody Sunday are in their late sixties and seventies.