One ex-British soldier is to be charged in connection with the 1972 Bloody Sunday killings in Derry via IrishTimes
There was surprise in Derry that just one former soldier is to be prosecuted. However, the PPS in its guidance on how it reached its decision said the burden of proof in a criminal case was a “very high one - beyond reasonable doubt”.
“In a criminal trial, on the other hand, there are strict rules that can lead to evidence being excluded in which case it can play no role in determining whether the test for prosecution is met,” it said. Lord Saville’s findings created the possibility that 22 former British soldiers and two alleged Official IRA members could face charges over Bloody Sunday. Since then five of the former soldiers have died – leaving 17 former soldiers and two former Official IRA members facing possible charges.
The PPS took its decision after considering an estimated 125,000 pages of material relating to Bloody Sunday. Lord Widgery’s 1972 report into Bloody Sunday that said British soldiers were fired on first and that some of those killed had been armed also was part of that material. Nationalists and many others portrayed the Widgery report as a “whitewash”.
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