After more than five decades, Soldier F, a former paratrooper and the only British army veteran ever charged in relation to Bloody Sunday, has been acquitted of the murders of two men and the attempted murder of five others. The landmark verdict, delivered by Judge Patrick Lynch KC in a 'Diplock' court in Belfast Crown Court, brings to a close a controversial five-week trial that had been closely watched across Northern Ireland and beyond.

Soldier F was accused of the 'unnecessary and gratuitous' shootings of James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 26, who both died during the infamous civil rights demonstration in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in January 1972. He was also found not guilty of the attempted murders of Patrick O'Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon, Michael Quinn, and an unknown person. Throughout the trial, Soldier F, whose identity was protected, sat quietly behind a curtain in Court 12.

Bloody Sunday remains one of the darkest days of what became known as the Troubles, with 13 civil rights protesters shot dead by soldiers. The killings were a defining moment of the 30-year conflict, prompting an apology in 2010 from then-Prime Minister David Cameron, who deemed the deaths 'unjustified and unjustifiable'. The events were extensively investigated by the Saville Inquiry, also known as the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, which commenced in 1998 and lasted 12 years. Costing around £200 million, it was the longest and most expensive public inquiry in British legal history. The inquiry concluded that those killed were innocent and unarmed, leading to a murder investigation and the eventual charges against Soldier F in 2019.

The prosecution's case against Soldier F largely relied on statements made by two of his comrades, identified as Soldiers G and H, in the immediate aftermath of the deaths. These statements claimed he had fired shots. However, Judge Lynch stated that the evidence 'falls well short' of the high standard of proof required for a criminal conviction. He highlighted that one of the soldiers had since died and the other refused to participate in the trial, meaning their accounts could not be properly tested in court. The judge found Soldiers G and H to have been 'serially untruthful' and deemed their statements 'manifestly unreliable', further noting that on the prosecution's own case, these comrades were also 'guilty of murder'. He emphasized that the passage of time – almost 54 years – had severely hampered the legal process.

Despite the acquittal, Judge Lynch strongly condemned the actions of the Parachute Regiment on Bloody Sunday, stating they had 'lost all sense of military discipline' and 'sullied' the battalion's previous good name. He remarked, 'Shooting in the back unarmed civilians running away on the streets of a British city... Those responsible should hang their heads in shame.'

The verdict elicited polarized reactions. Relatives of those killed expressed stunned silence and a profound sense of denied justice. Mickey McKinney, brother of William McKinney, stated that families did not blame the trial judge but rather a British state complicit in murder and cover-up. Michelle O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s first minister and vice-president of Sinn Féin, called the verdict deeply disappointing, lamenting that despite an acknowledgment of the British army's role, no soldier or superior has been held accountable.

Conversely, supporters of Soldier F, including numerous Army veterans who attended the trial, hailed the acquittal as the end of a 'political witch-hunt'. Paul Young, spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Veterans Movement, expressed happiness among veterans across the UK and hoped for no more such prosecutions based on unreliable evidence. This outcome reignites calls to protect Northern Ireland veterans who claim they are targeted while many IRA terrorists escaped prosecution under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

The broader political landscape surrounding Troubles-era prosecutions remains contentious. The Labour government recently unveiled plans to repeal the Tories' 2023 Legacy Act, which was designed to protect veterans from 'vexatious' prosecutions but faced opposition for failing to offer a pathway to justice. Labour's proposed deal, in partnership with the Irish government, aims to end immunity for both terrorists and veterans, potentially allowing new inquests and civil cases, and paving the way for fresh criminal charges where evidence of wrongdoing is found. Soldier F's acquittal closes one chapter but underscores the ongoing challenges and deep divisions surrounding justice for Troubles-related deaths.