Prosecutors drop Troubles cases against ex-soldiers

Two Army veterans facing murder charges from the Northern Ireland Troubles, including on Bloody Sunday in 1972, will now not face trial.

The cases involve individuals known as Soldier F and Soldier B.

Soldier F was to be prosecuted over the deaths of James Wray and William McKinney on Bloody Sunday.

The case against Soldier B relates to the death of 15-year-old Daniel Hegarty, who was shot twice in the head in Londonderry in July 1972.

It also relates to the wounding of his cousin, Christopher.

Soldier F was also facing five counts of attempted murder.

Reviews of the cases were prompted by the collapse of the trial in Belfast in May 2021 of two other veterans for Troubles-era offences.

The court ruled that statements by Soldiers A and C, accused of murdering IRA man Joe McCann, were inadmissible and the pair were acquitted.

The PPS said that given "related evidential features" it was concluded "there was no longer a reasonable prospect of key evidence in proceedings against Soldier F and Soldier B being ruled admissible".

"Without this evidence, the test for prosecution was no longer considered met," the statement read.

Northern Ireland's veterans commissioner Danny Kinahan said his thoughts are with the families and said "the pressure is now on everyone to find a way forward".

"Veterans don't want an amnesty or equivalence, they want the rule of law in place but they feel everything that's happening is very lopsided," he said.

"They came in to stop the Troubles, to protect society and stop a civil war and they did that and there are some awful side effects - this is one of them."