US EditionNorthern Ireland Court finds British soldier not guilty in Bloody Sunday killings
Soldier F was acquitted as the trial relied on decades-old military statements deemed unreliable, highlighting challenges in prosecuting historical cases from the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre.
- At Belfast Crown Court, Judge Patrick Lynch found Soldier F not guilty on all seven counts in the non-jury trial relating to the January 30th, 1972 shootings.
- Because of the Saville findings and a later PSNI review, prosecutors pursued Soldier F based on statements from Soldiers G and H after a 2010 inquiry and murder investigation.
- Across a four-week non-jury trial, Judge Patrick Lynch said delay and inability to cross-examine hearsay statements from Soldiers G and H meant the evidence fell short of proof beyond reasonable doubt.
- Outside Belfast Crown Court, families and supporters left in silence, and Mickey McKinney said Soldier F’s discharge was `one million miles away from being an honourable discharge` as they vowed to continue seeking justice.
- The wider legacy issues are shaped by delays, with campaigners pointing to initial RUC cover-up and the Widgery Inquiry that blocked early investigations until Saville’s review, complicating prosecutions and leaving many unresolved.
153 Articles
153 Articles
“Soldier F” found not guilty as Bloody Sunday whitewash maintained
Soldier F, the only member of the British Army to stand trial for the Bloody Sunday shootings in 1972, was found not guilty last week in an extraordinarily belated trial characterised as a result by weak evidence.
The British State Has Prevented Justice for Bloody Sunday
A British court has acquitted the only soldier to face trial over the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry in 1972. The outcome is no vindication of “Soldier F” or of the British establishment, whose long cover-up made a successful prosecution so challenging. Families and supporters of the victims march to court in anticipation of the verdict in the trial of Soldier F on October 23, 2025, in Belfast. (Charles McQuillan / Getty Images) The acquittal …
In January 1972, when British paratroopers shot at Northern Ireland demonstrators, the Northern Ireland conflict escalated. Londonderry's massacre entered history as Bloody Sunday. A court has now concluded. For the time being.
"Justice delayed is justice denied" - Soldier F found not guilty of Bloody Sunday murders
A British army veteran accused of murdering James Wray and William McKinney on Bloody Sunday in 1972 has been found not guilty. He was also accused of the attempted murder of five others – Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon, Patrick O’Donnell, Michael Quinn and a person of unknown identity. The killings were part of a massacre perpetrated by British troops in Derry on 30 January 1972, in which 14 people were killed, and at least 15 injured. In the verdict …
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