Twenty-five witnesses are to be called in the prosecution of a former serviceman accused of two murders on Bloody Sunday.
The case of Soldier F, who also faces five attempted murder charges in relation to the shootings in Derry on January 30 1972, was heard before a district judge in Derry Magistrates' Court.
The veteran was not present for the short hearing on Wednesday.
The ex-paratrooper's barrister Mark Mulholland QC is to challenge any decision to send his client for trial.
The case was adjourned until January 17.
Mr Shiels added: "There are 25 witnesses that Soldier F's legal team have indicated that they wish to hear oral evidence from.
"We know that all those witnesses are civilian witnesses.
"The PPS now have to, because some of that evidence was taken some time ago, the PPS have to make contact with some of those witnesses and see first of all whether they are happy to come to the three-week committal voluntarily or, if that is not the case, they have to look at witness-summonsing any of those witnesses.
"In addition to that, there are hearsay applications which have to be determined by the court.
"They are very important in relation to this prosecution and those hearsay applications concern the accounts of the colleagues of Soldier F within the anti-tank platoon who put Soldier F within the confines of Glenfada Park North where all these shootings occurred."
He said the PPS also intended to call some evidence in respect of the shootings on a rubble barricade which nobody is currently charged with to give proper context to the events and the activities of the anti-tank platoon.
In court, Mr Mulholland indicated that he expected the committal hearing to take three or four weeks and added notices of objection to hearsay would take two or three days.
District Judge Peter Magill said: "It seems that the parties are in broad agreement and it seems to me, at least initially, that things are moving with due dispatch considering how complicated the matter is."
