Overview
- Judge Patrick Lynch found the former soldier not guilty of two murders and five attempted murders after a non-jury trial at Belfast Crown Court.
- While concluding that members of the Parachute Regiment fired at unarmed civilians at close range and had “lost all sense of military discipline,” the judge said courts do not apply collective guilt.
- The prosecution relied on decades-old statements from Soldiers G and H that could not be tested; G is deceased, H refused to testify, and the judge deemed both men serially untruthful.
- Soldier F, whose identity remains protected, did not give evidence and previously told police he had no reliable recollection of the day’s events.
- The Public Prosecution Service acknowledged the acquittal and the complex evidential hurdles in legacy cases, as families voiced disappointment and political debate continues over repealing the 2023 Legacy Act.