Bloody Sunday: PPS directs no further charges against any soldier

Announcing it decision on Tuesday, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said the previous decision to charge one former member of the Parachute Regiment still stands – but that none of the other 15 soldiers under consideration will be charged with any offence.

Known by the cipher ‘Soldier F’ the military veteran, aged in his late 60s, will now stand trial accused of murdering James Wray and William McKinney, as well as five counts of attempted murder, in Londonderry on January 30, 1972.

That PPS decision last March angered the families of the deceased and injured, leading lawyers acting on their behalf to ask the PPS to review that decision.

The review was undertaken by a prosecutor not involved in the original decision – PPS Senior Assistant Director Marianne O’Kane.

Ms O’Kane said the PPS related specifically to the deaths of 10 of the victims who died on Bloody Sunday as well as 10 of those who were injured.

The senior prosecutor said the Test of Prosecution was considered in each case following a detailed examination of the evidence, and consideration of the detailed legal submissions received by the PPS.

Ms O’Kane said: “In March 2019, the PPS engaged extensively with the families of those killed and injured on Bloody Sunday to explain the reasons why the original decision-maker concluded that the available evidence did not

meet the Test for Prosecution for all but one suspect reported.

“Given the importance of these decisions to all affected by them and the extensive public interest in the events of Bloody Sunday, the deep disappointment felt by many families at that time was wholly understandable.

“This was despite assurances received from the PPS that its decision-making had been conducted in an independent, fair and impartial manner.

“It was therefore also understandable that a number of the bereaved families and injured victims subsequently exercised their right to request a review of decisions relating to 15 of those suspects originally reported.”

A 12-year inquiry conducted by Lord Saville concluded in that all of those killed on Bloody Sunday were innocent and posed no threat.

The inquiry was established in 1998 and concluded in 2010. It was the longest-running inquiry in UK legal history and cost in the region of £200 million.

Ms O’Kane said the PPS review of the original decision began substantively in November 2019 following receipt of all legal submissions, and “involved applying the Test for Prosecution afresh to all available evidence submitted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) from 2016-17.”

She added: “I have concluded that the available evidence is insufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction of any of the 15 soldiers who were the subjects of the reviews. Accordingly, the decisions not to prosecute these 15

individuals all stand.

“I know that today’s outcome will cause further upset to those who have pursued a long and determined journey for justice over almost five decades. I can only offer reassurance to all of the families and victims of Bloody Sunday, and the wider community, that my decisions were conducted wholly independently and impartially, and in accordance with the Code for Prosecutors.

“Finally, it is important to note that while Soldier F is among the 15 individuals to which these new decisions relate, the prosecution that commenced against him in 2019, which relates to two charges of murder and five charges of

attempted murder, continues.”

Pressure to bring further prosecutions intensifies

Soldier F not in court for first hearing

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