A BROTHER of Bloody Sunday victim William McKinney has branded the slow pace of court proceedings against Soldier F as “ridiculous, frustrating and cruel”.
Michael McKinney said the fact that four years have passed since it was announced that the former soldier could be prosecuted, was exacerbating the suffering of all the Bloody Sunday families.
Mr McKinney was speaking on the fourth anniversary of the announcement by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) .
Soldier F is the only former Bloody Sunday soldier to face possible prosecution.
It was announced on March 14 2019, that he would be prosecuted for the murders of Jim Wray and William McKinney as well as the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon, Patrick O’Donnell and a fifth unknown person.
Despite the decision, the case has moved at a slow pace. In July 2021, the Public Prosecution Service dropped the case after evidence from 1972 was deemed inadmissible in other non-Bloody Sunday cases.
However, following a High Court judicial review of the decision, proceedings resumed in October last year. Since then, a number of preliminary hearings have taken place.
Mr McKinney said the slow pace of the case was “ridiculous” particularly after everything the Bloody Sunday families had suffered.
“After the murder of Willie and the slander of his good name by Widgery (1972 inquiry) and the British establishment, the delay in the case is heaping further suffering not just on our family on all the Bloody Sunday families. It’s cruel and frustrating,” he said.
As the only former soldier to face prosecution, the Soldier F case has become a focus for all of the Bloody Sunday families, Mr McKinney said. The Derry man said the slow pace of proceedings was a “drain” on the families.
“Every day that passes increases the urgent need to move this case forward,” Mr McKinney said.
