New delay as end of Bloody Sunday saga is “in sight”

The Bloody Sunday families have called on the PSNI to state whether or not they intend recommending that the soldiers responsible for the 1972 killings are prosecuted.

The police have said they have finished interviewing the former British soldiers as part of their Bloody Sunday murder investigation.

John Kelly, whose brother Michael was shot dead on Bloody Sunday, said those investigating should indicate what their position is based on the evidence they have gathered.

“We were told this investigation would take four years and that is nearly up. The families are frustrated at the length of time this is taking,” he said.

“We were told that this had to be done right so we are taking that at face value but if all the evidence is now gathered, the police should say whether or not they will be recommending that the former soldiers be prosecuted.”

The Derry man said families were also annoyed that the PSNI investigating team had not briefed them about latest developments.

“We were told at the start that we would be kept in the loop but we had to learn from the press that the interviews with soldiers were over. That is not acceptable,” he said.

Last year a High Court ruling determined that seven former soldiers present on Bloody Sunday would not have to travel to Ireland in order to be questioned. The court ruling came after the arrest and questioning of ‘Lance Corporal J’ in Antrim.

The families hope prosecutions will bring answers to long standing questions about how the massacre was initiated and why.

Kate Nash’s brother William was shot dead on Bloody Sunday and her father Alex was wounded when he attempted to come to his son’s aid. Having asked the PSNI about the progress in the murder investigation, Kate Nash said she had received a statement from the PSNI that the investigation team “requires a period of time to consider all matters and to prepare a final report”.

Mr Nash said: “I am happy that the investigation has got to this point but of course I am concerned at how much longer it will take to complete.

“It’s been four years so far and the wait seems interminable. The PSNI told us at the start that it would perhaps take up to four years to complete, but we have already passed that time frame. The Bloody Sunday families have waited a very long time for justice and I feel it’s closer and within our grasp. I am calling on all our political representatives to back us now in this final push to realise the dream of being finally being able to lay our loved ones to rest.”

People Before Profit Assembly member and justice campaigner Eamonn McCann said: “The news that all the former British soldiers associated with Bloody Sunday have now been interviewed under caution marks another milestone on the long match towards the truth about the Derry massacre.

“The interviews with the surviving soldiers were completed last month. The families shouldn’t have to hang on any longer. The PSNI had estimated that the current investigation would take four years. Four years have already passed.”

He said the end of the Bloody Sunday saga is at last in sight. “Massive credit is due to all the Family members who fought so hard for so long, sometimes in face of political indifference,” he said.

Urgent Appeal