Bloody Sunday: Not guilty verdict in Soldier F murder trial

A Belfast court delivered a not-guilty verdict on Thursday in the trial of a former British Army paratrooper accused of the murder of two young men in the Bloody Sunday shootings in Derry 53 years ago.

It was the first-ever trial of a former British soldier accused of killing unarmed civilians during the massacre.

The veteran, referred to as Soldier F for legal reasons, was accused of the murders of James Wray and William McKinney during a civil rights march in the city on January 30th, 1972.

By the end of that dreadful day, 13 unarmed civilians had been shot dead by the Parachute Regiment while 17 were left with injuries.

So how was the verdict received in the packed courtroom, particularly by the Bloody Sunday families whose fight for justice has endured for more than a century. A UK public inquiry had already found that the army unlawfully killed 13 people in Derry on that day, so why did the prosecution against this former paratrooper fail?

Irish Times Northern editor Freya McClements was in court for the verdict.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Andrew McNair and John Casey.

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