In finding F not guilty of murder on Bloody Sunday, judge said evidence fell well short of the standard required
It is undisputed that members of the Parachute regiment shot dead 13 unarmed civil rights protesters in Derry on Bloody Sunday. But, more than 53 years later, it is not surprising that Soldier F, the only man put on trial for murder, was found not guilty.
Though four of the Paras who entered Glenfada Park North had “lost all sense of military discipline”, according to Mr Justice Lynch, direct evidence against Soldier F fell well short of “the high standard of proof required in a criminal case”.
The case against Soldier F, who offered no evidence of his own, was based on statements made in the early 1970s by two Paras who were on the scene, Soldier G and Soldier H. Other evidence from civilians present, though contextually important, did not directly implicate Soldier F, the judge said.
The other two soldiers described firing aimed shots themselves – in evidence that for legal reasons was inadmissible against them – but their evidence against Soldier F could not be considered reliable, Lynch concluded. He said they were “accomplices with a motivation to name F as a participant in their murderous activities”.
