‘Further agony’ for soldier’s family over delay in halting Bloody Sunday prosecution

A delay in withdrawing charges against a former Bloody Sunday paratrooper has caused “further agony” for the soldier and his family, a veterans’ group has said.
By Mark Rainey
Published 9th Jul 2021, 18:53 BST
Paul Young of umbrella group the Northern Ireland Veterans MovementPaul Young of umbrella group the Northern Ireland Veterans Movement
Paul Young of umbrella group the Northern Ireland Veterans Movement

It has emerged that prosecutors are to seek an adjournment of a formal move to halt the prosecution of ‘Soldier F’ for the murder of James Wray and William McKinney in Londonderry on January 30, 1972.

The NI Public Prosecution Service (PPS) had been due to officially withdraw proceedings on Friday, however, the brother of Mr McKinney, Mickey McKinney, has legally challenged the decision to halt the prosecution.

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Two judges, sitting in the divisional court in Belfast, have granted leave for Mr McKinney to challenge the decision by way of judicial review in September.

Veterans’ spokesman Mr Young said: “This is further agony for the veterans who are facing prosecution.

“We feel that [the DPP] should have carried on with the withdrawal – let the judicial review take place, and then react to whatever the judicial review decided.

“That would be the proper way of proceeding, rather than put the [soldier’s] family through more agony yet again.”

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Mr Young added: “That is why we have been calling for a full, independent outside investigation into the workings of the Public Prosecution Service.

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