On October 23, 2025, more than half a century after one of the darkest days in modern British and Irish history, a Belfast courtroom delivered a verdict that reverberated across Northern Ireland and beyond. Soldier F, the only British military veteran ever prosecuted for the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre in Londonderry (also known as Derry), was found not guilty of murder and attempted murder charges. The ruling marked the end of a long, tortuous legal road for the families of the victims, as well as for the aging ex-paratrooper whose identity remains shielded by court order.
The events of January 30, 1972, are seared into the collective memory of Northern Ireland. What began as a peaceful civil rights march in the Bogside area of Derry ended in chaos and bloodshed when members of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment opened fire on unarmed civilians. Thirteen people were killed instantly, and at least 15 more were wounded. The massacre, which took place during the turbulent era known as The Troubles—a conflict pitting mainly Catholic nationalists seeking Irish unity against predominantly Protestant unionists loyal to the United Kingdom—became a symbol of injustice and state violence.
Soldier F, whose real name has never been made public, was charged with the murders of James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 27, and five counts of attempted murder for shootings that wounded Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon, Patrick O’Donnell, and another unknown individual. The charges stemmed from his alleged actions as part of the Parachute Regiment unit that entered Glenfada Park North on that fateful day. The prosecution of Soldier F followed a 2010 public inquiry led by Lord Saville, which concluded that soldiers had shot unarmed civilians and then participated in a cover-up that lasted decades. The inquiry’s findings prompted then-Prime Minister David Cameron to issue a sweeping apology, calling the killings “unjustified and unjustifiable.”
Yet, after years of delays, legal wrangling, and public pressure, the five-week trial at Belfast Crown Court ended with Judge Patrick Lynch ruling that the evidence against Soldier F was insufficient for conviction. The trial, conducted without a jury—a common practice for cases linked to The Troubles—saw the defendant shielded from public view and declining to take the stand in his own defense. The judge’s decision rested heavily on the quality of the evidence presented: the prosecution relied mainly on statements from two other veterans, one deceased and the other refusing to testify, which the judge deemed hearsay and thus unreliable.
“Their statements, the sole and decisive evidence, cannot be tested in a way that witnesses giving evidence from the witness box would be,” Judge Lynch explained, as reported by the Associated Press. “Delay has, in my view, seriously hampered the capacity of the defense to test the veracity and accuracy of the hearsay statements.” He added, “The evidence presented against the veteran fell well short of what was required for conviction.”
But the judge did not spare the Parachute Regiment soldiers from harsh criticism. In remarks that echoed through the public gallery, filled with both grieving families and supporters of Soldier F, Judge Lynch condemned the conduct of the soldiers on Bloody Sunday. “They had totally lost all sense of military discipline,” he said. “Shooting in the back unarmed civilians fleeing from them on the streets of a British city. Those responsible should hang their heads in shame.”
The verdict was a bitter blow for the families of the victims, who have spent more than fifty years seeking justice. Mickey McKinney, whose brother William was killed, placed the blame squarely on the British state and the army for failing to properly investigate and prosecute the murders. “The failure to bring anyone to justice lies with the British state for failing to investigate the murders properly, or indeed at all; and with the British Army who shielded and enabled its soldiers to continue to murder with impunity,” he said, according to the BBC.
Liam Wray, brother of another victim, Jim Wray, described the day as “tough, sad, and emotional,” adding, “Justice had not been achieved,” but he appreciated the difficulties the judge faced. The pain was palpable as relatives returned to Derry’s Bogside after the verdict, holding a brief silence at the memorial near the spot where so many were killed 53 years ago.
Not all voices were in agreement about the meaning of the verdict. Paul Young, representing the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Movement, said that soldiers who served in Northern Ireland with “honour and courage” had been “hounded,” but would be “heartened” by the outcome. Defense lawyer Mark Mulholland criticized the prosecution’s reliance on what he called “fabricators and liars,” as well as the fading memories of survivors traumatized by the violence.
Political leaders offered a spectrum of reactions. Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s First Minister, called the verdict “deeply disappointing,” expressing solidarity with the families who have “campaigned with dignity and resilience for justice for their loved ones.” Foyle Social Democratic and Labour Party MP Colum Eastwood echoed the sense of injustice, stating, “Everybody knows the victims were innocent and everybody knows where the guilt actually lies.” In contrast, Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson welcomed what he called a “common sense judgement,” but acknowledged the trial had been a “painful and protracted process.”
The UK government, through a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, recognized the verdict as “an example of the complex legacy of the Troubles.” The government reaffirmed its commitment to finding a way forward that “acknowledges the past, whilst supporting those who served their country during an incredibly difficult period in Northern Ireland’s history.”
For many, the verdict closes a legal chapter but leaves the deeper wounds of Bloody Sunday unhealed. The massacre, and the decades-long struggle for accountability, remain a stark reminder of the human cost of political conflict. As Northern Ireland continues to grapple with its troubled legacy, the challenge of balancing justice, truth, and reconciliation persists—echoing in the silence at the Bogside memorial, in the words of the bereaved, and in the ongoing search for closure on all sides.
