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Judge Rejects Bid to Halt Soldier F Trial, Verdict Set for Oct. 23

The non-jury case proceeds after the judge admitted statements by Soldiers G and H into evidence.

Families of the victims of the 1972 'Bloody Sunday' killings hold a banner, as a judge is expected to rule on the defence application of a dismissal on the trial of the British army veteran known as 'Soldier F', charged with two murders and five attempted murders in relation to Bloody Sunday, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, October 16, 2025. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Families of the victims of the 1972 'Bloody Sunday' killings hold placards, as a judge is expected to rule on the defence application of a dismissal on the trial of the British army veteran known as 'Soldier F', charged with two murders and five attempted murders in relation to Bloody Sunday, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, October 16, 2025. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
FILE - Families of the victims of the 1972 Bloody Sunday, hold a protest outside Belfast Crown court, Northern Ireland, Monday Sept. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
Families of the victims of the 1972 'Bloody Sunday' killings hold placards, as a judge is expected to rule on the defence application of a dismissal on the trial of the British army veteran known as 'Soldier F', charged with two murders and five attempted murders in relation to Bloody Sunday, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, October 16, 2025. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Overview

  • Soldier F, who cannot be identified, denies two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder linked to the 1972 Bloody Sunday shootings in Derry.
  • The court refused a defence application for a directed acquittal, ruling that prior statements from Soldiers G and H remain admissible.
  • Defence counsel closed without calling the defendant or any witnesses, arguing the prosecution case is fundamentally flawed and relies on unreliable accounts.
  • Prosecutors contend unarmed civilians were unlawfully fired upon in Glenfada Park North and invited the court to draw an adverse inference from the defendant’s decision not to testify.
  • The month‑long trial at Belfast Crown Court has been conducted without a jury, with the accused shielded from public view behind a curtain.