Unionists call for ‘line to be drawn’ under Bloody Sunday

Any judicial review of the PPS decision not to prosecute any further Bloody Sunday soldiers would mean more trauma for all involved, Gregory Campbell has said.
By Mark Rainey
Published 29th Sep 2020, 18:30 BST
Updated 29th Sep 2020, 18:42 BST
The PPS has upheld a decision not to prosecute 15 soldiers in connection with Bloody Sunday.The PPS has upheld a decision not to prosecute 15 soldiers in connection with Bloody Sunday.
The PPS has upheld a decision not to prosecute 15 soldiers in connection with Bloody Sunday.

The DUP MP for East Londonderry described yesterday’s announcement as “not surprising,” and said: “The issue now will be, is there now going to be a judicial review which is going to entail further cost – remember there’s already been almost £200 million spent on the public inquiry, the most expensive in legal history in the UK.”

Announcing its decision yesterday, the Public Prosecution Service 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.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

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

Gregory Campbell. Picture: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker PressGregory Campbell. Picture: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press
Gregory Campbell. Picture: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Campbell said: “Is there going to now be a judicial review, is that going to mean further trauma and delay for all of those involved, and what is the outcome going to be?

“I think more and more people will be saying how much further is this going to go on? There are families of two police officers who were murdered in the area where the Bloody Sunday events happened, just three days before.

“They have never received justice, never received a public inquiry and never received any independent review into the circumstances surrounding the murders of their loved ones.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In a later statement, he said: “This process was started with the Saville Report.

TUV leader Jim Allister. Picture: Jonathan Porter/PressEyeTUV leader Jim Allister. Picture: Jonathan Porter/PressEye
TUV leader Jim Allister. Picture: Jonathan Porter/PressEye

“That report did of course mention that Martin McGuinness was probably carrying a Thompson sub-machine gun on the day of the march but chose to ignore the Provisional IRA’s use of a sub-machine gun to murder two RUC officers in the same vicinity just three days earlier.

“Martin McGuinness’ possession of a sub-machine gun and that gun’s previous use is part of the overall picture of what happened on that day.

“So too are the activities of Official IRA members on that day, but we know that these will not be the subject of a review or prosecutions.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Campbell added: “Nearly 50 years after the events in Londonderry the activities of soldiers continue to be investigated.

“In contrast, many other families who lost loved ones have not seen any proper investigation into the murder of their relatives.”

Mr Campbell also raised the issue in the Commons yesterday, asking if NI Secretary Brandon Lewis intended giving MPs his views on a potential judicial review.

TUV leader Jim Allister said that yesterday’s PPS decision “should result in a line being drawn nder this aspect of Bloody Sunday”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “My thoughts are with the countless victims ... who have never seen multimillion pound inquiries, documentaries and lengthy reviews by the PPS into decisions taken in relation to the murder of their loved ones.

“This should be the end of the insatiable demands when it comes to Bloody Sunday.”

Mr Allister went on to say: “If we want to look at the events of 1972 let’s start considering the many cases which haven’t had acres of newsprint and thousands of hours of broadcast time devoted to them.

“One thinks of Bloody Friday when 19 bombs were detonated in Belfast in just over an hour, murdering nine aged 14 to 65.”

PPS directs no further charges against any soldier

A message from the Editor:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor