Military shootings in the Troubles weren’t crimes, says minister
KILLINGS by the military during the Troubles were ‘not crimes’ and were carried out in a ‘dignified’ way, the Northern Ireland Secretary said yesterday.
Karen Bradley told the Commons the security forces were ‘acting under orders’ and ‘fulfilling their duty’.
In response to a question from DUP MP Emma Little-Pengelly, she said: ‘Over 90 per cent of the killings during the Troubles were at the hands of terrorists – every single one of those was a crime. ‘The fewer than 10 per cent that were at the hands of the military and police were not crimes.
‘They were people acting under orders and under instruction and fulfilling their duty in a dignified and appropriate way.’
Mrs Bradley’s comments came as four former paratroopers wait to find out whether they will be charged with murder over their roles in Bloody Sunday.
Up to 18 former paratroopers are under investigation for crimes including murder, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and perjury in connection with the 1972 shootings.
Thirteen people were killed and 14 injured when soldiers opened fire during a civil rights march in Londonderry. Another man who was shot died four months later. Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) will announce next week whether charges will be brought.
Mrs Bradley faced calls to resign after her comments. Victims’ families accused her or interfering with the law, ahead of the decision on charges.
Kate Nash, 70, whose brother William died aged 19 on Bloody Sunday, said: ‘I was stunned. Does she not realise the PPS is doing its job?
‘How can she put political pressure on the PPS at this stage? She is interfering with due process.
‘How insensitive can any human be? She is not fit to be Secretary of State and she should resign.
‘She mentions dignity. Where is the dignity in murder?’
Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle O’Neill said Mrs Bradley’s comments were ‘offensive and hurtful’.
She accused the Northern Ireland Secretary of ‘contempt’ for the legal system, adding: ‘These comments are an insult to families who have lost loved ones.
‘They will add to the injury caused to these families by the British Government’s continued attempts to block access to truth and justice.’
Lord Saville’s £200million inquiry into the killings, which ended in 2010, concluded that the Bloody Sunday victims were innocent.
Soldiers of the 1st Battalion Paraing
‘An insult to families who lost loved ones’
chute Regiment have claimed many of those shot were armed.
Last night Mrs Bradley attempted to backtrack on her remarks, returning to the Commons to clarify her position. She said: ‘The point I was seeking to convey was that the overwhelming majority of those who served carried out their duties with courage, professionalism and integrity and within the law.
‘I was not referring to any specific cases but expressing a general view. Of course where there is evidence of wrongdoing, it should always be investigated, whoever is responsible. These are of course matters for the police and prosecut- ing-authorities, who are independent of government.’
One former paratrooper, named only as Sergeant O, said he still believed the Bloody Sunday killings were a ‘job well done’, although he acknowledged that ‘some innocent people were killed’.
But asked about Lord Saville’s conclusions that all of those killed were innocent, he told the BBC: ‘I don’t care what Lord Saville said. He wasn’t there. I would do the exact same again.’
His comments were condemned by families of those killed during Bloody Sunday.
John Kelly, brother of Michael Kelly, who was 17 when he was shot dead, said: ‘Murder is murder, no matter how long ago it is. Justice has to be seen to be done.’
Mickey McKinney, whose brother William was shot dead aged 27, said: ‘It’s totally outrageous what Karen Bradley is saying.
‘It would have been better to direct her criticisms towards Sergeant O after his comments.’