[ad_1]
Thirteen people died and 15 were injured on Bloody Sunday
The Public Ministry (PPS) has stuck to its original decision to press charges against no more than one soldier in connection with Bloody Sunday.
A review of the cases of 15 veterans followed that determined that there should be no action against last year.
Thirteen people were killed and 15 injured when the army opened fire on civil rights protesters in Londonderry in January 1972.
One man, Private F, remains the only one facing the court.
The reviews were requested by the relatives of some of the victims.
No new evidence was presented for the reviews, and the families’ attorneys sent detailed submissions to PPS explaining why they believed the decisions were wrong.
They believe that another 10 soldiers should be prosecuted for murder and attempted murder.
- What happened on Bloody Sunday?
- Internment, protest and bloody Sunday
‘Insufficient evidence’
The PPS said the reviews were conducted by its senior deputy director, Marianne O’Kane, who was not previously involved in the cases.
He looked at the deaths of 10 victims who died on Bloody Sunday, as well as 10 other injuries.
She said: “I have concluded that the available evidence is insufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction for any of the 15 soldiers who were the subject of the reviews.
“Consequently, the decisions not to prosecute these 15 people stand,” he continued.
Top row, left to right: Patrick ‘Paddy’ Doherty, Gerald Donaghey, John ‘Jackie’ Duddy, Hugh Gilmour, Michael Kelly, Michael McDaid, Kevin McElhinney. Bottom row, left to right: Bernard McGuigan, Gerard McKinney, William McKinney, William Nash, James Wray, John Young
“I know that today’s outcome will further upset those who have embarked on a long and determined path for justice for almost five decades.
“I can only reassure all the families and victims of Bloody Sunday, and the community in general, that my decisions were made in a totally independent and impartial manner, and in accordance with the Prosecutor’s Code.”
The families also argue that Private F, as he became known in the Bloody Sunday public investigation, should face further charges.
He will stand trial on charges of murdering James Wray and William McKinney in Derry in 1972 and is also charged with five counts of attempted murder.
Four of the attempted murder charges relate to the injuries of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell.
The fifth refers to unknown persons.
