Ex-U.K. soldier charged in 1972 killings
LONDON — A former British soldier faces charges in the slayings of two civil-rights protesters 47 years ago on Bloody Sunday, one of the deadliest days of the decadeslong conflict in Northern Ireland.
The ex-paratrooper, identified as “Soldier F,” will face prosecution in the killings of James Wray and William McKinney and the attempted killings of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell on Jan. 30, 1972, in Londonderry, the prosecutors in Northern Ireland said Thursday.
Prosecutors said there wasn’t enough evidence to charge 16 other former soldiers and two alleged members of the Official Irish Republican Army who were investigated over their roles in the shootings, which killed 13 people and injured 15 others.
The charges announced Thursday come more than two years after police referred their findings to prosecutors and almost nine years after the conclusion of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, which was to determine what happened but not to file criminal charges.
The Bloody Sunday Inquiry found that the British soldiers had opened fire without justification at unarmed, fleeing civilians and then lied about it for decades. Those findings rebutted an initial investigation that took place soon after the slayings, which branded the demonstrators as Irish Republican Army bombers and gunmen.
“I wish to clearly state that where a decision has been reached not to prosecute, that this in no way diminishes any finding by the Bloody Sunday Inquiry that those killed or injured were not posing a threat to any of the soldiers,” Stephen Herron, the director of public prosecutions for Northern Ireland, said as he announced the charges. “We recognize the deep disappointment felt by many of those we met with today.”