The brother of a Bloody Sunday victim has spoken of how he missed a day of the trial of the soldier accused of murdering William McKinney due to a loyalist death threat.

In the midst of the trial of ‘Soldier F’ at Belfast Crown Court, a threat was directed at the McKinney family on social media.

His identity still protected by the court after 53 years, the former paratrooper faces two charges of murder – those of James Wray and William McKinney – and five of attempted murder.

He is the only British soldier to be prosecuted for the massacre in 1972 of 14 civilians and injuring over 15 more. He pleaded not guilty and refused to give testimony or a statement to the court during his trial, which is being heard without a jury.

Mickey McKinney, whose brother was shot dead at the anti-internment march in the Bogside on January 30, 1972, travelled from Derry to Belfast for the trial every day for the past month.

But he was forced to miss some of the proceedings to deal with a death threat issued by a Belfast-based loyalist.

“I was up every day bar one,” he said. “We had to go to the police to make a statement about the threat.”

Above a photograph of Mickey and his brothers John and Joe the following threat was posted: “If yous [sic] continue to target the British armed forces including the psni [sic] the consequences will be swift and deadly. Yous [sic] have been warned,” followed by an explosion emoji.

SDLP MP Colum Eastwood described the threat as ‘sickening’.

“The people of Derry will be with them every step of the way and I know that people from every community will be disgusted at these threats,” he said.

SHOT AS THEY RAN AWAY

Hearings concluded last week. Over the past month, the trial heard the shootings in Glenfada Park North on Bloody Sunday, described as “unjustified, unnecessary and gratuitous,” and unarmed civilians were “shot in the side and in the back” as they ran for their lives.

Lead counsel Louis Mably said the shootings were carried out “given the weapon involved, with an intent to kill and, at the least, with an intent to cause really serious harm.”

He said the civilians “did not pose a threat to the soldiers, and nor could the soldiers have believed that they did.

“They were simply shot as they ran away or, in one case, as he was in the square taking shelter or trying to evade the soldiers.

“They opened fire at people who were scared, who had been caught in the chaos and were obviously posing no threat at all. They were shot in the side and they were shot in the back. Shooting people as they ran away.”

Over the proceedings, the court heard evidence from a number of civilians who were present.

Denis McLaughlin, who was sixteen at the time, told the court he saw soldiers enter the courtyard:

“I heard a soldier shout, ‘Stop or I’ll shoot.’ Then he lifted his rifle and I saw him fire. A man fell.”

He said that panic broke out as people ran in all directions. Mr McLaughlin said he saw no civilians armed or throwing anything: “Nobody around me had a gun or a bomb – nothing like that.”

Another survivor, Joe Mahon, described being shot and falling to the ground: “I pretended to be dead. I could hear the soldier walking close by. Then I heard a voice say, ‘I’ve got another one.’”

Mr Mahon said he saw William McKinney attempting to crawl away before being shot again.

“I saw Willie trying to move, and then he was shot again. He didn’t move after that.”

From her flat overlooking the courtyard, Brigid Bond told the court she saw British soldiers come through the alleyway:

“One knelt, raised his gun, and fired. I saw people fall.”

Edward Doherty, a local ambulance volunteer, described the aftermath:

“There was blood everywhere. I counted two men dead and several injured. We dragged them behind a wall for cover.”

Every civilian witness described soldiers firing at people who were either running away or taking shelter and none described any threat to the troops.

Several civilians who witnessed the shootings had already given full sworn evidence in the late 1990s and early 2000s but have since died.

One of the statements was made by Hugh O’Boyle, who said he feared being shot by a soldier who aimed a rifle at him as he attended the civil rights march.

Mr O’Boyle recalled hearing gunfire and then going into Glenfada Park North where three bodies lay “crumpled” on the ground.

He said he crouched down and hid behind a parked car with several other people. He heard more shooting and “dared not put my head up”.

“I was afraid anyone that moved would be shot,” Mr O’Boyle said. He said “time stood still”, before a British soldier told them to come out with their hands up.

“The soldier used his gun to motion us forward. I was convinced he was about to shoot us.”

Mr O’Boyle said he was “marched” out of the courtyard and only felt “safe” when he came into the sight of a news cameraman.

A statement from Patrick Bradley was also read out to the court. He recounted helping one man who was wounded at Glenfada Park North, Joseph Friel, who fell forwards after he “heard bangs”.

“There was blood. I realised he had been hit by a live round.”

Written evidence of another man, Joseph Donnelly, recalled bullets “bouncing off the fence”. He helped tend to one of those who had been fatally wounded, Michael Kelly.

Eamonn McAteer was also at the scene. He said he heard several “extremely loud bangs” and then “bodies going down”.

A central element of the case was a set of statements made in 1972 by two other British soldiers, identified only as Soldier G and Soldier H, both of whom are now deceased.

Soldier G described entering the courtyard with two others, including Soldier F, and admitted that “Soldier F fired several rounds at running civilians.”

Soldier H’s account was similar, stating that he saw “Soldier F fire his rifle towards men running through the courtyard.” Both admitted they saw no return fire or weapons among the civilians.

Summing up the prosecution, Mr Mably told the court:

“Every eyewitness who was in the courtyard saw soldiers fire on people who were clearly running away. The defendant, identified as Soldier F, was among them.”

He said that these were “deliberate acts, carried out with the intention to kill or cause really serious harm. The civilians were unarmed. No soldier was under threat. This was murder.”

A verdict on the trial is due to be heard this Thursday morning at Belfast Crown Court, starting at 10am.

People have been urged to show support for the Bloody Sunday families and join them as they walk to court, starting at the Market Community Centre, Market Street, at 8.45am.