The ongoing trial into the alleged murder of two men by British soldiers in 1972 on so-called Bloody Sunday reached an important milestone on Friday 10 October, with the prosecution concluding their case against Soldier F.

Bloody Sunday murder trial: prosecution rest their case

The paratrooper is accused of killing James Wray and William McKinney during the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry, when British troops opened fire on unarmed civilians, killing 14 and injuring at least 15 others. The army veteran is also accused of attempting to murder five others.

Giving evidence was Denis McLaughlin, who described being wounded by a rubber bullet fired by a British soldier. The Belfast Telegraph reports how McLaughlin also witnessed others being hit by lethal rounds. 16 years old at the time of the killings, he saw another member of the army:

…shouting “stop or I’ll shoot”, before lifting his rifle and firing either a self-loading rifle (SLR) or a submachine gun, and said he saw a man falling in the wake of that fire.

A prosecution barrister used proceedings to lay out a set of agreed facts – details which are not disputed by either the prosecution and defence. Among them included forensic evidence that showed neither of the men Soldier F is accused of killing had been handling explosives or weapons on the day of their deaths. The medical evidence regarding the nature of their injuries was also provided, with McKinney being hit by a bullet on the right side of his back, and Wray shot twice.

Accused soldier sure of his innocence despite…not remembering what he did?

A prosecution lawyer also read a statement given to police by Soldier F in 2016 during two days of interviews was also heard by the court. In it, the paratrooper said:

I understand that you wish to interview me about the events that took place over a short space of time on January 31 1972, over 44 years ago.

While I am sure I properly discharged my duties as a soldier on that day, I no longer have any reliable recollection of those events. I am not therefore able to answer your questions and will not be drawn into speculating or guessing. For that reason, I will not be answering any questions put to me.

The contradiction in the statement seems pretty obvious – if Soldier F didn’t have “reliable recollection” of the events of Bloody Sunday on 30 January 1972, how could he be sure he “properly discharged [his] duties”? Being sure of the latter depends on the former. The accused has been granted permission to appear anonymously in court, claiming he would be in peril from dissident republicans were his identity to become known.

Earlier this week, others caught up in the horrifying events of the massacre had given harrowing testimony about what they witnessed. On October 6, Hugh O’Boyle (24 in 1972) described rubber bullets being fired by the British army during “low-level” rioting. He then:

…heard a different kind of shooting. It sounded totally different from the sound of rubber bullets, it was a much different cracking sound.

He had been under the impression the army was “disciplined” and “would not shoot civilians”, though sadly attacks on unarmed Irish people have always been a feature of British military presence on the island. This is starkly evidenced by the fact the events in Derry are not the only Bloody Sunday; an even more brutal massacre was perpetrated by the British Black and Tans unit in 1920.

Court hears harrowing accounts of mass murder

O’Boyle went on to describe how, when taking cover behind a car on Bloody Sunday, he saw three bodies on the ground. He said:

I remember that all three bodies were crumpled on the ground. They were all lying face down. When I saw the three bodies I got the immediate impression they had been trying to run away from Glenfada Park North. My impression was they were all dead.

He recalled being in fear for his life when discovered by a soldier, who told him to come away from the car with his hands raised. O’Boyle said:

I was convinced he was about to shoot us.

Another unarmed man shot by a rubber bullet fired from a British gun gave evidence on Tuesday. Jon McCourt’s account matched those of many on the day, one of innocent people being fired at needlessly. He recalled encountering a lone soldier, who shot him “in the left thigh”. He explained:

I was not holding or throwing a stone, I was not threatening him in any way and I did nothing to justify being shot at.

McCourt also described the chaos that engulfed the city that day:

There was a lot of noise from people squealing and screaming … I could hear shots that seemed to come from all directions. I did not actually see anyone firing the shots, the shots came from behind me as I was running towards my wife’s grandmother’s house.It was single shots with a gap between them. The shots were live ammunition – they were not rubber bullets, a rubber bullet makes a different sound.

The 14 killed in the Derry Bloody Sunday massacre were among the 366 who lost their lives at the hands of British security forces during the Troubles. A higher total would emerge were statistics to factor in killings that involved collusion between these forces and loyalist paramilitaries. Investigating such cases has been impeded by the Legacy Act brought in by the previous Conservative government in Britain. Labour promised to repeal the act, with the process currently in motion and a new framework for dealing with historic deaths currently under construction.Featured image via the Canary

By Robert Freeman

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