Former Soldier Charged With Murder Over 1972 Shooting

[Redhelen72]

I will follow this with interest - if he is suspected to have killed someone outside of the remit of his duty and there is evidence then it is only right that action is taken.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-68238984

[brainiac]

What about all the IRA bombers and murderers released after the Good Friday Agreement, or who received 'no further action' letters?  This prosecution is absurd.

[Redhelen72]

At least the ones found guilty (and then freed) served some jail time before being freed under the good friday agreement.

Without that agreement - do you think there would have been peace?

Wearing a uniform should not be a get out of jail card.

[brainiac]

Nor should not wearing one, but it was

[youngmafbog]

//outside of the remit of his duty//

And therein lies the problem.  

I knew a fair few blokes that were in NI, later than this though, and things really were not clear cut.  Plus everyone was on edge as they could be shot by anyone pulling a gun or and explosive. They did not wear uniforms so it really could be anyone.

They only had a split second to decide.

[davebro3]

A general amnesty is needed - ridiculous to prosecute.

Don't the CPS have a "not in the public interest" condition? 

[Redhelen72]

Dave it could be argued that it is in the Public Interest in NI

[youngmafbog]

Only in the public interest if both sides are prosecuted.

And peronally I dont think that would be a good idea. Time to move on.

[davebro3]

There was much hurt and many murders from both sides. Some have been let off it seems whilst a few are still under the threat of prosecution. It's more than half a century ago - time to let it go & get on with creating a better future.

[jackthehat]

NI is a knotty problem.

For British soldiers in identifiable uniforms the stress levels must have been through the roof - every resident was a potential 'enemy'. I have no doubt that genuine mistakes were made and it throws no good light on the British Army to deny that this was so.

The Irish combatants, however they wish to decribe themselves, played their part in the misery inflicted in NI - on the population not just the BA.

Covert information-gathering units are a feature or warfare and always have been. If one of these units used that cover to kill innocent people then that must be addressed. If they acted as assassins of known fighters then I don't have much sympathy for those they killed.

As an act of amicable reciprocity perhaps we could be told the identity of the Guildford, Birmingham, M62 and Hyde Park bombers?

[ToraToraTora]

Radio rental.

[ToraToraTora]

It's unbelievable, over half a century ago we were fighting terrorist low life scum who were blowing up UK civilians and we are going to drag a pensioner through the courts? Madness, kin madness.

[Redhelen72]

Tora - would you drag one of the those 'low life scum' pensioner through the courts?

 

[naomi24]

Fifty years on I wonder who's provided the evidence, how they can substantiate it, and how clear accurate their memories are?  Too much time has passed to drag this all up again.  

[Mozz71]

According to the article, it was an unarmed civilian that was killed. They might've been fighting "low life terrorist scum" but that doesn't give them a remit to kill anyone they choose.

[ToraToraTora]

14:20, no the GFA should be an end to it for both sides.

[Ken4155]

All soldiers serving in Ulster were issued with a Yellow Card which spelt out exactly when and how we could open fire. Obviously we could do so immediately if 'contact' was made, but some instances required 3 warnings.

The instructions on the Yellow Card did not aply to the Military Reaction Force to which these soldiers were attached. A former member of the MRF took part in a Panorama programme back some years back and he says the unit was more or less given carte blanche in hunting down IRA members and killing them. Another former MRF member told the programme that the MRF's brief was to "draw out the IRA and minimise their activities. If they needed shooting, they were shot." Yet another was quoted as saying, "We were not there to act as an army unit, we were there to act as a terror group."

It doesn't look good for this ex-squaddie given McVeigh was shot in the back.

[anneasquith]

Ken, am I correct in thinking you were deployed to NI ?

[ToraToraTora]

remember this?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporals_killings

two British soldiers accidentally drove into the location of an IRA funeral. They were both armed but fired in the air rather than defend themselves. They were murdered.

Let's let it go.

[Ken4155]

Did 3 tours Anne, first two on foot-patrol in uniform.  3rd tour long hair, civvies, shoulder holster containing a 9mm Browning. I did use an SLR, but it was a Pentax😉

[anneasquith]

I'm pleased to see a post from someone who knows what they are talking about.