‘Fight for justice is not over’ – daughter of man shot on Bloody Sunday

A woman whose father was shot and wounded on Bloody Sunday has said her fight for justice will continue after a former soldier was cleared of his attempted murder.

The ex-paratrooper, known as Soldier F, was found not guilty on Thursday of the murder of William McKinney, 26, and James Wray, 22, after a civil rights march in Londonderry in 1972.

He was also acquitted of five attempted murders, including that of Patrick O’Donnell. His daughter Caroline said she was devastated at the outcome but would continue to demand that soldiers be prosecuted for perjury.

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has confirmed it is reviewing a decision last year not to prosecute 15 soldiers for lying under oath.

A PPS spokesperson told BBC News NI: “In April 2024, the PPS took decisions not to prosecute 16 individuals [including 15 soldiers] in relation to allegations of false evidence relating to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

“A request to review these decisions was received by the PPS.”

The spokesperson described the process as ongoing, adding the outcome will be issued “in due course”.

They said the review was being carried out by a senior PPS lawyer who was not involved in taking the original decisions.

In delivering the verdict on Soldier F, Judge Patrick Lynch said members of the Parachute Regiment had shot unarmed civilians as they ran away, adding that those responsible “should hang their head in shame”.

However he said the evidence against Soldier F had fallen well short of what is required for conviction.

The verdicts angered nationalist political parties but were welcomed by unionists and veterans’ campaigners, who called for an end to prosecutions of former soldiers.

The director of the PPS, Stephen Herron, said the case had presented “complex legal and evidential issues”, adding that their thoughts were “foremost with the Wray and McKinney families, those who were wounded, and the loved ones of all killed and injured on Bloody Sunday”.

Those relatives who attended court in Belfast returned to Derry on Thursday evening knowing the verdicts could not be appealed.

They held a short silence at the Bloody Sunday memorial, near the spot where many of the victims were killed more than half a century ago.

Caroline O’Donnell, whose father Patrick – known as Patsy – died in 2006 at the age of 74, told BBC Radio Foyle’s North West Today programme they had returned home with “heavy hearts”.

“Really disappointed, devastated – devastated for all the families and for Derry city,” she said.

“My poor Daddy lived under that dark cloud for years of being a terrorist and a bomber and gunperson.”

She said the families had been dignified for 53 years and remained so, despite the verdicts.

She echoed calls for the PPS to consider bringing charges against any living soldiers suspected of perjuring themselves in relation to the events of Bloody Sunday.

In his Soldier F judgement, Judge Lynch said that some of the soldiers had perjured themselves.

“I hold that the witnesses have told lies about the events on several occasions,” he said.

He added that Soldier H had twice committed perjury, when giving evidence to the Widgery Tribunal of 1972 and the Bloody Sunday Inquiry conducted by Lord Saville, and Soldier G once when giving evidence to Widgery.

John Kelly, whose brother Michael was killed in Bloody Sunday, said they had entered the courthouse in Belfast with hope in their hearts but left disappointed.

“It was the evidence that let us down,” he said. “It was the evidence of two of his (Soldier F’s) mates whose statements were used against him to prosecute him.

“Not forgetting also that when the campaign started, we had three demands: the repudiation of Widgery, we achieved that; full declaration of innocence, we achieved that; and the third was a prosecution – we achieved the three demands, so it was a victory for us to even get him into the court.”

James Wray’s brother Liam said on Thursday he was not surprised by the verdict but glad that the victims of Bloody Sunday were “again declared as innocent”.

He welcomed the critical comments of the judge in relation to the Parachute Regiment’s actions in the Bogside.

He said it was a “tough and emotional day” for the Wray family, who did not attend the trial, but at the heart of it all was the loss of James, who he described as “a lovely son and brother”.