Image caption James Wray and William McKinney were among 13 people shot dead at a civil rights march

A former British soldier faces murder charges over the killing of two people on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972.

The Public Prosecution Service said there was enough evidence to prosecute Soldier F for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney.

The sole prosecution is seen as a "terrible disappointment" by some of the families of the 13 people killed.

They were shot dead at a civil rights march on 30 January 1972.

The day became known as Bloody Sunday - one of the darkest days of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

The shootings led to widespread anger in Derry and further afield.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption What was Bloody Sunday?

On the same day as the funerals were held for 11 of the Bloody Sunday victims, the British Embassy in Dublin was burned to the ground by an angry crowd.

'Heartbroken' families

Soldier F also faces charges for the attempted murders of Patrick O'Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and Michael Quinn.

BBC News NI's Home Affairs Correspondent Julian O'Neill said it could be a "period of months" before Soldier F makes his first court appearance.

The former paratrooper is being referred to only as Soldier F because all military witnesses were granted anonymity through the Saville Inquiry into the circumstances around the killings.

The PPS said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute 16 other soldiers and two Official IRA men.

James Wray's brother Liam said he was "very saddened for the other families" of those killed on Bloody Sunday.

"Their hearts must be broken," he said. "It has been a sad day but the Wray family are relieved."

He added: "There are a lot of sad and heartbroken people today."

Image copyright PAcemaker Image caption A number of relatives of those killed walked to Derry city centre ahead of the PPS decision.

William McKinney's brother Michael said it was "disappointing" for families who had not received news of prosecutions.

Director of the PPS Stephen Herron said: "It has been a long road for the families... and today will be another extremely difficult day for many of them.

"We wanted to meet them personally to explain the decisions taken and to help them understand the reasons."

Linda Nash, whose brother William was shot dead, said she feels "let down by a law and a justice system that's supposed to protect people".

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Linda Nash, whose brother William was killed on Bloody Sunday says: "We will keep going".

"I'm feeling devastated. The most difficult thing I had to do today was to call my children and tell them that there are no prosecutions for their granda and uncle."

Her sister Kate said they would appeal the decision.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption One soldier will be prosecuted over Bloody Sunday, the PPS said

Soldier F - what we know

Soldier F gave evidence anonymously to the Saville Inquiry in 2003 and admitted firing 13 rounds on Bloody Sunday.

His assertion that there were "gunmen and bombers killed" was rejected in Lord Saville's report.

The Saville Inquiry stated that there was "no doubt" Soldier F had shot father-of-six Paddy Doherty, who was unarmed.

Saville also found there was "no doubt" Soldier F had shot an unarmed Bernard McGuigan on Bloody Sunday as he went to the aid of Patrick Doherty, waving a white handkerchief.

At the Saville Inquiry, Soldier F admitted he had shot 17-year-old Michael Kelly - but he said that he had only fired at people with bombs or weapons.

However, Saville concluded Mr Kelly was unarmed.

The Saville Inquiry found that both William McKinney and James Wray could have been shot by Soldier F and three other soldiers.

The inquiry report also stated Soldier F had changed his story over the years.

Image caption Bloody Sunday gained notoriety around the world, partly due to the image of a Catholic priest waving a bloodstained handkerchief as he tried to help a victim

Mr Herron said the decisions to prosecute announced on Thursday "relate only to allegations of criminal conduct on Bloody Sunday itself".

"Consideration will now be given to allegations of perjury in respect of those suspects reported by police," he said.

Bloody Sunday 'has cast a long shadow'

by Julian O'Neill, BBC News NI Home Affairs Correspondent

Bloody Sunday might have happened 47 years ago, but it has cast a very long shadow, extending far beyond victims' families and those involved.

It fuelled the Troubles and, two decades after they ended, it will once again throw a searchlight on how Northern Ireland deals with its past.

Legacy issues, as they are termed, can poison the present day and they have been allowed to fester.

Bloody Sunday has fed into the ongoing debate, with the government considering legislation as part of its next steps.

Will that involve a de facto amnesty from prosecutions in future, and whom might that cover?

This is the bigger picture against the backdrop of the Bloody Sunday decisions, significant as they are in their own right.

The intention to charge a former soldier has clawed at emotions not just in Derry, but among bereaved families and victims in thousands of other Troubles cases left pondering truth and justice.

The case could come before a court for a preliminary hearing quite quickly, says the legal expert, Joshua Rozenberg.

He expects Soldier F to be brought before a court in Northern Ireland and to be named.

UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the government would offer full legal support to Soldier F - including paying his legal costs and providing welfare support.

"We are indebted to those soldiers who served with courage and distinction to bring peace to Northern Ireland," he said. "The welfare of our former service personnel is of the utmost importance."

He said the the Ministry of Defence is working "to drive through a new package of safeguards to ensure our armed forces are not unfairly treated."

"And the Government will urgently reform the system for dealing with legacy issues," he said.

"Our serving and former personnel cannot live in constant fear of prosecution."

Following Mr Williamson's statement, lawyers acting on behalf of the family of William Nash said they had contacted the Northern Ireland attorney general accusing the defence secretary of contempt of court.

£200m inquiry

A public inquiry conducted by a senior judge in 1972 was branded a whitewash by victims' families.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Liam Wray expressed relief that a soldier was to be prosecuted for his brother's murder

After decades of campaigning, a fresh inquiry was eventually ordered by then prime minister Tony Blair in 1998.

Lord Saville's 5,000-page report stated none of the casualties was posing a threat of causing death or serious injury and that soldiers had lost their self-control.

The prime minister at the time of the report's publication, David Cameron, apologised for the soldiers' conduct, saying the killings were unjustified and unjustifiable,

A police investigation into Bloody Sunday followed Lord Saville's 12-year, £200m public inquiry.

A file was sent to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in November 2016.

In total, police reported 20 suspects to the PPS - 18 of them former soldiers, one of whom died last year.

Papers before prosecutors included 668 witness statements and numerous photos, video and audio evidence.

How Bloody Sunday unfolded

The march began shortly after 15:00 GMT on 30 January 1972, and the intended destination was the city centre.

However, Army barricades blocked marchers.

The majority of demonstrators were instead directed towards Free Derry Corner in the Bogside.

Image caption Graffitti appeared on Free Derry Corner after the announcement on Thursday

After prolonged skirmishes between groups of youths and the Army, soldiers from the Parachute Regiment moved in to make arrests.

Just before 16:00, stones were thrown and soldiers responded with rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon. Two people were shot and wounded.

At 16:07, paratroopers moved to arrest as many marchers as possible.

At 16:10, soldiers began to open fire.

According to Army evidence, 21 soldiers fired their weapons, discharging 108 live rounds between them.</s>A former British soldier is set to be prosecuted in connection with the deaths of two civil rights protesters in Derry, Northern Ireland, 47 years ago, part of an incident known as Bloody Sunday, prosecutors said Thursday.

But the identity of the former soldier, identified only as Soldier F, has yet to be revealed.

The veteran will face prosecution for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney and the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell.

Sixteen other soldiers under investigation will not face prosecution in the shootings, which took place at the height of the unrest in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles. Prosecutors say there is not enough evidence to try them.

The charges against Soldier F follow a decade-long investigation that concluded soldiers killed 13 unarmed demonstrators protesting Britain’s detention of suspected Irish nationalists. Some 28 people were shot in total.

But the results of a long-running inquiry that concluded in 2010 could not be used in any prosecution and Thursday’s charges resulted from a separate police investigation into the incident.

He joined the 1st battalion of Britain’s famous Parachute Regiment in 1966, the Telegraph reports, and was a lance corporal at the time of the killings on Jan. 30, 1972.

The inquiry into the killings, conducted by Britain’s Lord Saville, granted anonymity to all military witnesses involved. Its final report covered some 5,000 pages, costing $352 million. It had been set up after an earlier inquiry into the killings was deemed a whitewash.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland first launched a murder probe in 2012, after Lord Saville’s Bloody Sunday Inquiry found that all of those who died were innocent civilians who had not posed a threat on the day, the Irish Times reports. Files were then sent to public prosectors in Northern Ireland in December 2016. In the end, names of 20 suspects were sent to prosecutors, including 18 ex-soldiers and two Official IRA men, but only Soldier F has been charged.

That leaves 19 suspects not charged and 11 killings unaccounted for. The victims’ families have called for justice, while supporters of the soldiers say it is unfair for them to face charges decades after the events.

In 2003 testimony to the Saville Inquiry, Soldier F admitted to firing 13 rounds on that 1972 day in Derry, as civil rights marchers made their way toward the city centre from the Bogside area.

The killings and attempted murders Soldier F will be tried for happened in the Glenfada Park North and Abbey Park north areas of Derry.

Although a Soldier H was also found by Saville to be responsible for these deaths, prosecutors deemed there was not the same level of evidence against Soldier H, and thus “no reasonable prospect of conviction.”

At a rubble barricade on nearby Rossville Street, six other protestors met their deaths. They were Michael Kelly, Hugh Gilmour, William Nash, John Young, Michael McDaid and Kevin McElhinney, all aged between 17 and 20.

The Irish Times reports that Soldier F was connected to these deaths, as were other soldiers, but again prosecutors decided there was no prospect a conviction could be secured.

Prosecutors found there was “no admissible and credible witness evidence that Soldier F fired at the rubble barricade,” but Michael Kelly’s body did offer up a bullet linked to a rifle Soldier F had used.

Soldier F was also linked to two other deaths — Bernard McGuigan and Patrick Doherty — and the wounding of other protestors, the Times reports. At the time of his report, Lord Saville said he had no doubt Soldier F shot the dead men, but evidence from Saville’s report was inadmissible. A co-accused soldier who might have pinpointed Soldier F is now dead.

Now, prosecutors have determined that there is enough evidence to try soldier F for two murders and four attempted murders.

A legal expert told the BBC that he expects Soldier F will soon be named, once the case goes to a preliminary hearing in Northern Ireland.

Expert Joshusa Rozenberg said Soldier F may argue abuse of process and unfair treatment as a defence, because no other soldiers have been prosecuted.

His legal costs, as well as welfare support, will be paid by the British government, it has been confirmed.

“We are indebted to those soldiers who served with courage and distinction to bring peace to Northern Ireland,” UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson told the BBC. “The welfare of our former service personnel is of the utmost importance.”

William McKinney’s brother Michael said it was “disappointing” for those families whose cases would not be prosecuted, the BBC reports.

“We are mindful of those families who received that news today, and believe me, there are many. For us here today it is important to point out that justice for one family is justice for all of us,” he said.

“I wish to clearly state that where a decision has been reached not to prosecute, that this is in no way diminishes any finding by the Bloody Sunday Inquiry that those killed or injured were not posing a threat to any of the soldiers,” Stephen Herron, the director of public prosecutions for Northern Ireland, said as he announced the charges. “We recognize the deep disappointment felt by many of those we met with today.”

— With files from the Associated Press</s>Derry, United Kingdom: Northern Irish prosecutors on Thursday charged a former British soldier with murder over the “Bloody Sunday” killings of 1972 in a politically sensitive case that has stirred passions in both Britain and Ireland.

 The ex-paratrooper, known only as Soldier F, was charged with murdering two people and the attempted murder of four others when troops opened fire on a demonstration in Derry in which 13 protesters were shot dead.

 Soldier F was one of 17 British veterans who had faced investigation over Bloody Sunday but he was the only one charged.

 “This is a remarkable achievement by the families and victims of Bloody Sunday,” said Ciaran Shiels, a solicitor for some of the victims’ families.

 But Shiels added: “We are disappointed that not all of those responsible are to face trial.”

 Relatives looked sombre as they emerged from a press conference in which the decision was announced by the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland.

 “There is sufficient available evidence to prosecute one former soldier, Soldier F, for the murder of James Wray and William McKinney; and for the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell,” said PPS director Stephen Herron.

 British Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the defence ministry would support Soldier F and pay his legal costs.

 “We are indebted to those soldiers who served with courage and distinction to bring peace to Northern Ireland,” he said.

 “The welfare of our former service personnel is of the utmost importance and we will offer full legal and pastoral support,” he said.

 He added that the government was working to reform the system “for dealing with legacy issues”.

 “Our serving and former personnel cannot live in constant fear of prosecution,” he said.

 Besides 16 former British soldiers not charged, state prosecutors also declined to bring charges against two alleged ex-members of the Irish Republican Army for their role on the day, one of the seminal events in the three-decades-long Northern Irish conflict known as “The Troubles”.

 “In respect of the other 18 suspects, including 16 former soldiers and two alleged Official IRA members, it has been concluded that the available evidence is insufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction,” said prosecutor Herron. — AFP</s>Northern Irish prosecutors on Thursday charged a former British soldier with murder over the "Bloody Sunday" killings of 1972 in a politically sensitive case that has stirred passions in both Britain and Ireland.

The ex-paratrooper, known only as Soldier F, was charged with murdering two people and the attempted murder of four others when troops opened fire on a demonstration in Derry in which 13 protesters were shot dead.

Soldier F was one of 17 British veterans who had faced investigation over Bloody Sunday but he was the only one charged.

"This is a remarkable achievement by the families and victims of Bloody Sunday," said Ciaran Shiels, a solicitor for some of the victims' families.

But Shiels added: "We are disappointed that not all of those responsible are to face trial."

Relatives looked sombre as they emerged from a press conference in which the decision was announced by the Public Prosecution Service of Northern Ireland.

"There is sufficient available evidence to prosecute one former soldier, Soldier F, for the murder of James Wray and William McKinney; and for the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O'Donnell," said PPS director Stephen Herron.

British Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the defence ministry would support Soldier F and pay his legal costs.

"We are indebted to those soldiers who served with courage and distinction to bring peace to Northern Ireland," he said.

"The welfare of our former service personnel is of the utmost importance and we will offer full legal and pastoral support," he said.

He added that the government was working to reform the system "for dealing with legacy issues".

"Our serving and former personnel cannot live in constant fear of prosecution," he said.

Besides 16 former British soldiers not charged, state prosecutors also declined to bring charges against two alleged ex-members of the Irish Republican Army for their role on the day, one of the seminal events in the three-decades-long Northern Irish conflict known as "The Troubles".

"In respect of the other 18 suspects, including 16 former soldiers and two alleged Official IRA members, it has been concluded that the available evidence is insufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction," said prosecutor Herron.

Thirteen demonstrators were killed on January 30, 1972 as they participated in a civil rights march in the majority Catholic area of the Bogside in Derry when soldiers from the British Parachute Regiment opened fire.

A fourteenth died of his wounds later.

In 2010, then British prime minister David Cameron issued a formal state apology for the killings, calling them "unjustified and unjustifiable".

A public inquiry found that British troops fired first and had given misleading accounts of what happened.

On Thursday, families of those who died marched from a memorial to Derry city centre.

John Kelly, whose brother Michael was shot dead at the age of 17, said he was "hoping and praying" for justice.

"I'm standing here, where Michael was shot dead, hoping he's looking down on me and saying 'Fair play to you, I'm very proud of you'," he said.

The British government on Wednesday drew criticism with an announcement that veterans found guilty of crimes during the Troubles would be eligible for early release under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

The terms of the peace accord, which largely ended the Troubles, allowed some 500 republican and loyalist paramilitaries to leave prison after serving short sentences.

At present, the release scheme only covers offences committed from 1973 to 1998.

However, the government has proposed legislation to widen the programme to offences taking place from 1968, meaning anyone convicted over Bloody Sunday would be eligible.

Northern Ireland minister Karen Bradley has also drawn criticism for saying killings by British security forces and police "were not crimes".

"They were people acting under orders and under instruction and fulfilling their duties in a dignified and appropriate way," she said in parliament last week.

She later apologised for the comments.</s>The ex-Parachute Regiment trooper will also be charged with the attempted murders of four others, Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service (PPS) announced. Prosecutors said there is insufficient evidence to prosecute other former British soldiers or alleged members of the Official IRA over the events of Bloody Sunday. Thirteen Catholics were shot dead and 15 injured after members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire at a march in Londonderry on January 30, 1972.

Soldier F will face prosecution for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney and the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O'Donnell. Troops fired more than 100 rounds after trouble broke out an anti-internment march the city. A fourteenth man died months later, but it was found his death was not the results of injuries he sustained on Bloody Sunday. The 2010 Saville inquiry ruled the shootings were unjustified, with his 5,000-page report finding none of the casualties had been posing a threat of causing death or serious injury.

It followed a previous report into the Bloody Sunday killings which had largely exonerated the British soldiers. John Kelly, whose 17-year-old brother Michael was killed, said today’s news was a "terrible disappointment". He said: “We have walked a long journey since our fathers and brothers were brutally slaughtered on the streets of Derry on Bloody Sunday, over that passage of time all the parents of the deceased have died. “We are here to take their place."

He added: "The Bloody Sunday families are not finished yet.” Ciaran Shiels, a solicitor for relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims, said they were "disappointed that not all of those responsible are to face trial". Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the Government will offer "full legal and pastoral support to the individual affected by today's decision”. He said: “We are indebted to those soldiers who served with courage and distinction to bring peace to Northern Ireland.”

Conservative MP and former British Army officer Johnny Mercer tweeted the decision to prosecute was ”an abject failure to govern and legislate, on our watch as a Conservative administration". He tweeted: ”When I speak of a chasm between those who serve and their political masters in this country, I mean this.” Following the Saville Inquiry report’s publication, then-Prime Minister David Cameron apologised for the soldiers’ actions in the House of Commons.



A police investigation submitted its findings to prosecutors in November 2016.





Speaking before Thursday’s announcement, John Kelly, said he was "hoping and praying" that the families will get news of prosecutions. He said: "We're all very anxious, nervous, but at the same time we're sort of fairly confident that we are going to get what we want."



"And all the families probably feel the same way, that what we're trying to achieve is for them (the victims)." Before Thursday's decision was announced, former British Army head Gen Lord Dannatt accused the govermemnt of allowing the IRA to "rewrite history".

 Another Parachute Regiment veteran claimed soldiers had been "sold down the river" by a "politically-correct system".</s>A former British paratrooper has been charged for the killing of two unarmed protesters in Northern Ireland in 1972, in an incident that has become known as Bloody Sunday. The veteran, identified as Soldier F, will also face prosecution with the attempted murder of four others.

A statement from the prosecutors announced that 18 other suspects, including 16 ex-soldiers and two alleged Official Irish Republican Army members, under investigation will not be charged.

"[I]t has been concluded that the available evidence is insufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction," the statement said.

"It has been a long road for the families... and today will be another extremely difficult day for many of them," Northern Ireland's director of public prosecutions Stephen Herron said as he announced the charges.

"We recognize the deep disappointment felt by many of those we met with today," he said.

Bloody Sunday refers to January 30, 1972, when British troops fired on unarmed civil rights protesters in Derry, or Londonderry, in Northern Ireland.

The incident took place at the height of Northern Ireland's civil unrest.</s>British prosecutors on Thursday charged a former paratrooper with two murders and four attempted murders for the 1972 “Bloody Sunday” killings in which 13 protesters were shot dead in Derry.

The former paratrooper, known only as Soldier F, was one of 17 veterans who had been facing possible prosecution in the politically sensitive case.</s>Bloody Sunday: One former British soldier to be charged over Northern Ireland massacre

Bloody Sunday: One former British soldier to be charged over Northern Ireland massacre

The Saville inquiry criticised the decision to send troops into the Bogside estate in vehicles

One former British soldier is to be charged with the murders of two men and the attempted murders of four others over the Bloody Sunday shootings in Londonderry.

There was insufficient evidence to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction for the other 16 former soldiers, the Public Prosecution Service said.

Prosecutors also considered files on two former members of the old "Official IRA" and said they would not face prosecution.

The veteran paratrooper - who can only be identified as soldier F - will face prosecution for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney and the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O'Donnell.

Families gathered outside The Museum of Free Derry, yards from where the killings took place 47 years ago, and marched together to the city centre to hear the decision.

Crowds gathered outside the Guildhall, clapping as the families walked inside in silence.

Ciaran Shiels, a solicitor for a number of the relatives, said: "This is a remarkable achievement by the families and victims of Bloody Sunday.

"We are disappointed that not all of those responsible are to face trial.

"We will give detailed consideration to the reasons provided for decisions not to prosecute the other soldiers, with a view to making further submissions to the Prosecution Service and we shall ultimately challenge in the High Court, by way of judicial review, any prosecutorial decision that does not withstand scrutiny."

Thirteen people were killed and 15 others injured on 30 January 1972 when troops of the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment fired on demonstrators during a civil rights march in Derry.

An image of a Catholic priest waving a blood-stained handkerchief as he tried to help a victim to safety was seen around the world.

The troops were sent into the Bogside nationalist housing estate to deal with riots which followed the march defying a ban on public processions.

In 2010, a public inquiry under Lord Saville - ordered by former prime minister Tony Blair in 1998 - concluded the killings to have been "unjustified and unjustifiable".

The investigation, which lasted 12 years and cost around £195m, dismissed suggestions the dead had been armed with guns and nail bombs.

It also criticised the decision to send soldiers into the estate in vehicles.

Stephen Heron, Northern Ireland director of public prosecutions, said the decisions in no way undermined the findings of the Saville inquiry - that those shot were not posing a threat to the soldiers.

The paratroopers were not identified by the Saville inquiry. They were known only by a sequence of letters.

The outcome of the inquiry opened up the possibility of criminal charges being made against the troops involved.

Then prime minister David Cameron also apologised to the families of the victims in a statement in the House of Commons.

An investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) followed the inquiry and files on 18 soldiers were submitted to prosecutors in 2016 and 2017 for consideration. One veteran has since died.

Four other soldiers included in the Saville report died before police had completed their investigation.

Papers before prosecutors included 668 witness statements and numerous photos, video and audio evidence.</s>A former British soldier faces murder charges over the killing of two people in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in January 1972. They were among the 13 people who were shot dead at the civil rights march known as "Bloody Sunday," one of the worst events of the period known as "The Troubles."</s>Just one former paratrooper is to be charged with two murders and four attempted murders during Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972.

Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has announced today that soldier F will be prosecuted for the murders of James Wray and William McKinney and attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quin, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell.

Officials said that there is ‘insufficient evidence’ to prosecute any of the other 16 soldiers.

The victims’ families have called for justice, while supporters of the soldiers say it is unfair for them to face charges decades after the events.

Speaking at a press event after the decision, families said they are ‘not finished yet’.

John Kelly, whose 17-year-old brother Michael was killed, said many had received a ‘terrible disappointment’.

But he welcomed the positive news for the six families impacted by the decision to prosecute soldier F.

‘Their victory is our victory,’ he said.

‘We have walked a long journey since our fathers and brothers were brutally slaughtered on the streets of Derry on Bloody Sunday, over that passage of time all the parents of the deceased have died – we are here to take their place.’

Mr Kelly highlighted there were legal means of challenging the decisions not to prosecute.

‘The Bloody Sunday families are not finished yet,’ he said.

Thirteen civil rights demonstrators were shot dead on January 30 1972, on one of the most notorious days of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Northern Ireland’s director of public prosecutions Stephen Herron said: ‘It has been concluded that there is sufficient available evidence to prosecute one former soldier, Soldier F, for the murder of James Wray and William McKinney, and for the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell.

‘In respect of the other 18 suspects, including 16 former soldiers and two alleged Official IRA members, it has been concluded that the available evidence is insufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction. In these circumstances the evidence Test for Prosecution is not met.’

Relatives of the Bloody Sunday families were visibly upset after learning of the prosecution decisions.

Ciaran Shiels, a solicitor for a number of them, said they were ‘disappointed that not all of those responsible are to face trial’.

He said: ‘This is a remarkable achievement by the families and victims of Bloody Sunday.

‘Notwithstanding the unprecedented attempted political interference with the independence of the judicial process, the families have not only succeeded in consigning the Widgery report to history, and securing the complete vindication and declaration of innocence of all of the victims of Bloody Sunday through the Saville Inquiry, they have now secured the prosecution of Soldier F for the murder and attempted murder of six innocent people.

‘We are disappointed that not all of those responsible are to face trial.

‘We will give detailed consideration to the reasons provided for decisions not to prosecute the other soldiers, with a view to making further submissions to the Prosecution Service and we shall ultimately challenge in the High Court, by way of judicial review, any prosecutorial decision that does not withstand scrutiny.’

But the founder of the Justice for Northern Ireland Veterans group Alan Barry said: ‘It’s one soldier too many as far as we’re concerned.

‘It’s very one-sided. No soldier should be charged. It happened 47 years ago, a line in the sand needs to be drawn and people need to move on.’

Conservative MP and former British Army officer Johnny Mercer was also critical.

‘When I speak of a chasm between those who serve and their political masters in this country, I mean this,’ he tweeted.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said soldier F would have the full support of the Ministry of Defence, including paying his legal costs, while Government was working on reforms he said would ‘ensure’ forces personnel were not ‘unfairly treated’.

He said: ‘We are indebted to those soldiers who served with courage and distinction to bring peace to Northern Ireland.

‘The Government will urgently reform the system for dealing with legacy issues. Our serving and former personnel cannot live in constant fear of prosecution.’
Prosecutors in Northern Ireland charge a former British Army soldier with murdering two people during the mass shooting in Derry during the Troubles in 1972, following a contemporary police investigation. The man, known only as Soldier F, is also charged with three attempted murders. It is also announced that no other charges against either soldiers or civilians will be brought due to insufficient evidence. Soldiers shot 28 unarmed protestors, killing 13.