British soldier charged over 1972 "Bloody Sunday" will not stand trial

[July 02, 2021]  DUBLIN (Reuters) - The only British soldier charged with murder in relation to the "Bloody Sunday" killings of 13 unarmed Catholic civil rights marchers in Londonderry by British paratroopers in 1972 will not face trial, lawyers for families of the victims said on Friday.

A fresh graffiti "No Peace" is seen on a wall at the Derry corner in Londonderry, Northern Ireland March 14, 2019. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Soldiers from the elite Parachute Regiment opened fire on an unauthorised march in an Irish nationalist area in one of the most notorious incidents of Northern Ireland "Troubles". They killed 13 people and wounded 14 others, one of whom died later.

The unnamed soldier was charged in 2019 with the murders of two men and attempted murders of five others. Lawyers for the families said prosecutors informed them of their decision to drop the case on Friday.

(Reporting by Ian Graham writing by Padraic Halpin in Dublin; Editing by Jon Boyle)

[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.