Soldier F shielded behind court curtain

A former British soldier accused of two murders on Bloody Sunday has appeared in court for the first time since he was charged but controversially can still not be legally named.

The notorious ‘Soldier F’, who has been routinely outed on social media and in posters erected across Derry, is the only member of the British Crown Forces to face charges in connection with the massacre of 14 unarmed civil rights demonstrators in January 1972.

The ex-paratrooper is accused of murdering James Wray and William McKinney and with five attempted murders.

He was present in Belfast Crown Court on Friday to see his lawyers attempt to have the case thrown out. He sat in the witness box, with a thick floor-to-ceiling blue curtain shielding him from the main body of the court to protect his ‘anonymity’.

Relatives of Bloody Sunday victims (pictured) packed out the public gallery having travelled to the hearing from Derry.

Crown prosecutors previously called a halt to the prosecution in 2021, claiming the case could collapse if it went to trial.

Despite its resumption following a legal challenge, the families expressed anger at the prosecutors’ failure to challenge the anonymity order They believe he should be treated the same as any other murder or attempted murder suspect.

In advance of a hearing at Belfast on Friday, Michael McKinney, brother of William, said the family had expected prosecutors to “fight tooth and nail” if they wishes to retain the family’s confidence.

He said his family knew Soldier F’s name and watched him give evidence in open court at the Saville Inquiry in London in 2003. He said Soldier F’s identity was known to anyone who had an interest in Bloody Sunday.

Ciaran Sheils of Madden and Finucane said the families and wounded were victims and should be treated as such.

“They are entitled to expect to be informed of critical decisions in respect of the future direction of this prosecution,” Mr Shiels said.

“It is time the defendant was treated like any other defendant on trial for the most serious offences and not afforded protections which he neither requires nor deserves,” he said.

A date for the trial is yet to be fixed.

Urgent Appeal