Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

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Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by CleggHall » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:07 am

Soldier F is singled out for prosecution, seems a bit selective and unfair to me?

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Imploding Turtle » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:09 am

CleggHall wrote:Soldier F is singled out for prosecution, seems a bit selective and unfair to me?
I imagine the selection process was "is there enough evidence to prosecute?" If there isn't then they don't prosecute. If there is, well... you get the picture.
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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by beddie » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:23 am

Still think it's wrong. Yet they let the killers and murderers be released under the good Friday agreement.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by JarrowClaret » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:29 am

The sad truth is that there is more to this than what meets the eye. I agree to a certain extent with what IT says but in this case it isn’t that easy. There are a number of mitigating factors to consider, was there mistakes on the day yes of course as it turns out horrible mistakes which cost lives.

I have no idea about the basis for prosecution or if he will be the only one prosecuted but there are more to blame for this than just him and not just within the UK Government, Army confines either. Anybody who thinks that what happened wasn’t a reaction, as it turns out the wrong reaction, to something that happened at the time is living in cloud cuckoo land even if the IRA deny it.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Imploding Turtle » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:31 am

beddie wrote:Still think it's wrong. Yet they let the killers and murderers be released under the good Friday agreement.
They were tried and convicted. I agree with you on them getting released, but justice was done.

This guy, Soldier F, if he's guilty then he deserves the book being thrown at him every bit as hard as any other murderer. There'll be an outcry among the usual "our boys" brigade, but this is what should happen when 13 innocent civilians are murdered at the hands of our military. It should have happened a lot sooner.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Imploding Turtle » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:32 am

JarrowClaret wrote:The sad truth is that there is more to this than what meets the eye. I agree to a certain extent with what IT says but in this case it isn’t that easy. There are a number of mitigating factors to consider, was there mistakes on the day yes of course as it turns out horrible mistakes which cost lives.

I have no idea about the basis for prosecution or if he will be the only one prosecuted but there are more to blame for this than just him and not just within the UK Government, Army confines either. Anybody who thinks that what happened wasn’t a reaction, as it turns out the wrong reaction, to something that happened at the time is living in cloud cuckoo land even if the IRA deny it.
Any mitigating factors will be presented and tested at trial. That's kind of the point of a trial

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Lancasterclaret » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:34 am

Agree that it had to be investigated, but there has to be a element of "look what those guys had to go through every day" to this.

Put it one way, the evidence better be absolutely overwhelming if anything happens to Soldier F. It wouldn't be fair otherwise.
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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by basil6345789 » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:35 am

A sample scapegoat of 1 should be enough to score some political points.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Imploding Turtle » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:35 am

Lancasterclaret wrote:Agree that it had to be investigated, but there has to be a element of "look what those guys had to go through every day" to this.

Put it one way, the evidence better be absolutely overwhelming if anything happens to Soldier F. It wouldn't be fair otherwise.
Murder trials don't tend to have low burden of proof requirements.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by dsr » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:37 am

Many of the badges of murder don't apply in this case, because obviously there's no blame attached to him being armed or firing a gun. The prosecution case must be that he deliberately aimed and fired at someone (or a crowd) with intent to kill, knowing that he was disobeying orders. The prosecution must feel that they have enough evidence now that he was not just a young soldier who made a mistake, but that he was deliberately and with malice aforethought out to kill. (How they can find that evidence fifty years on; that's another question.)

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Quickenthetempo » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:37 am

How to keep the hostilities going on the UK side.

Step one Release all terrorists.

Step two Charge British soldiers and bring old feelings back.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by JarrowClaret » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:40 am

The problem with it for me is that if he says “I heard a gunshot or what I thought was gunshots and returned fire as I felt my life was at threat” or words to that effect how can you question that feeling. You can question the direction of his shooting definately but not his decision to open fire I would guess.

The failure here for me more than what they did on the ground that day is the decision to send the Paras down from there own area to deal with it in the first place which lies much higher probably even Governmental.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Imploding Turtle » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:42 am

Quickenthetempo wrote:How to keep the hostilities going on the UK side.

Step one Release all terrorists.

Step two Charge British soldiers and bring old feelings back.

Just because we were wrong to release certain prisoners doesn't mean we should let someone get away with murder if we have good reason to think they are guilty of murder.

Two somethings don't make a something.

Edit: And btw, this soldier deserves his day in court just as much as anyone else.
Last edited by Imploding Turtle on Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Lancasterclaret » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:43 am

by overwhelming evidence IT, its what dsr is alluding to. If there is tv footage of a British soldier firing into a crowd (not saying there is btw), then that there is a case to answer.

If its not as clear as that, then its probably not.

And again, I wasn't there, I don't know what its like to be in a combat zone, and that has to be taken into account.

But this is key, British soldiers fired on British citizens. That has to be investigated.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by GodIsADeeJay81 » Thu Mar 14, 2019 11:54 am

beddie wrote:Still think it's wrong. Yet they let the killers and murderers be released under the good Friday agreement.
Weren't they also handed a get out of jail free card from any future prosecutions by Blair at the time?

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Quickenthetempo » Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:09 pm

Imploding Turtle wrote:Just because we were wrong to release certain prisoners doesn't mean we should let someone get away with murder if we have good reason to think they are guilty of murder.

Two somethings don't make a something.

Edit: And btw, this soldier deserves his day in court just as much as anyone else.
How can a witness be believed on what happened all that time ago.

You only have to read on here people describing past matches how the mind plays tricks. How many mistaken details get spoken about.
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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Imploding Turtle » Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:17 pm

Quickenthetempo wrote:How can a witness be believed on what happened all that time ago.

You only have to read on here people describing past matches how the mind plays tricks. How many mistaken details get spoken about.
I expect that question will be asked and answered at a trial. Again, that's the point of a trial. We had no problem with Rolf Harris being tried and convicted for crimes from the 70s, because the evidence available at the time of his trial was enough to convict him. The standard of proof isn't lowered just because the crime happened long ago. All that time does is make it harder to reach the standard of proof required for a conviction.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by TheFamilyCat » Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:38 pm

Not sure why anyone would have a problem with what IT is saying, other than them having a problem with everything IT says.

If a crime has been committed, the perpetrator needs to be held to account. If a trial finds that he has not committed a crime, then he walks free and a long overdue line is drawn under it.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by dsr » Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:50 pm

I think people have three objections to this trial - one is that obviously the IRA have more favourable treatment than UK soldiers; one is that it is very doubtful whether there can be a fair trial at all fifty years down the line, when the main issue is not just what actually happened, but also what was in the mind of the soldier and the men who commanded him; and one is that there is a belief that UK soldiers ought to be protected to some extent from their actions, specifically their mistakes.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by willsclarets » Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:53 pm

Are we comfortable with the idea that this soldier potentially thought he could get away with the unrepentant, random murder of several innocent people - and be proved right by the justice system of an apparently civilised society?

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by PaintYorkClaretnBlue » Thu Mar 14, 2019 12:53 pm

Imploding Turtle wrote:Murder trials don't tend to have low burden of proof requirements.
Murder trials have the same burden of proof as any other criminal trial.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by dsr » Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:00 pm

willsclarets wrote:Are we comfortable with the idea that this soldier potentially thought he could get away with the unrepentant, random murder of several innocent people - and be proved right by the justice system of an apparently civilised society?
The whole point of the Good Friday agreement was that in the interests of peace, we should allow large numbers of unrepentant, random murderers of innocent people to get away with it. Are we comfortable with the Good Friday agreement?

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by bfcjg » Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:40 pm

Surely the guy should not be charged, forgive and forget move forward. The people who planted bombs in shops, murdered fathers in front of their children because they were either Catholic or Protestant have been forgiven surely this should apply to this man ?

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Lancasterclaret » Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:42 pm

He's been charged with two counts of murder and four of attempted murder.

I absolutely hate to say it, but that suggests he fired into the crowd on automatic, or picked off six people at random.

Either way, there must be compelling evidence to charge him (sadly)

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Clarets4me » Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:54 pm

bfcjg wrote:Surely the guy should not be charged, forgive and forget move forward. The people who planted bombs in shops, murdered fathers in front of their children because they were either Catholic or Protestant have been forgiven surely this should apply to this man ?
There are any number of atrocities far worse than this inflicted by the IRA, INLA, UVF etc, and there seems to be little or no attempt to investigate or charge the purpetrators. The IRA was funded through protection rackets, drug smuggling, prostitution rings etc again, nothing happening ..

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Herts Clarets » Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:16 pm

Clarets4me wrote:There are any number of atrocities far worse than this inflicted by the IRA, INLA, UVF etc, and there seems to be little or no attempt to investigate or charge the purpetrators. The IRA was funded through protection rackets, drug smuggling, prostitution rings etc again, nothing happening ..
Start with:

Guildford
Birmingham
Hyde Park
Harrods
Brighton
London Stock Exchange
Warrington
The murder of Cpls Wood and Howes in cold blood, captured on national TV

All conveniently brushed under the carpet with the Good Friday agreement.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Imploding Turtle » Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:20 pm

The whataboutism is real.

It really does seem as though some people think that our soldiers should be allowed to get away with murdering people if there are crimes committed by our enemies that we've not been able to punish people for.

It's a truly twisted type of thinking that belongs in the despotic countries, not a supposedly modern nation with modern justice.

If this guy is innocent then he won't be found guilty. So what are you all worried about? Are you seriously worried that he might be guilty and be punished for it? Really?

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Lancasterclaret » Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:22 pm

Yep

But guess what, that is what happens to sort out insurrections and guerilla campaigns, or it just continues.

I've got experience of the difference in NI between the troubles starting and the GFA. Its a remarkable economic and political success story, which of course suddenly isn't important at the moment.

Thousands of people are still alive because of the GFA. Please bear that in mind.

And also bear in mind that I'm not a fan of this, but he's been charged with six counts of murder or attempted murder. That suggests some pretty compelling evidence, whether we like it or not.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Clarets4me » Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:29 pm

Imploding Turtle wrote:The whataboutism is real. It really does seem as though some people think that our soldiers should be allowed to get away with murdering people if there are crimes committed by our enemies that we've not been able to punish people for.

It's a truly twisted type of thinking that belongs in the despotic countries, not a supposedly modern nation with modern justice.
Nonsense ! Pointing out glaringly obvious examples of people being treated unequally, is not " whataboutery ", it's about equal treatment ... you used to be keen on that sort of thing !

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Herts Clarets » Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:35 pm

Lancasterclaret wrote:
Thousands of people are still alive because of the GFA.
And one of my best friends from school days is dead because of the murderous terrorists. If only his killers were pursued with the same vigour and vigilance that is afforded our armed service personnel.
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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Imploding Turtle » Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:38 pm

Clarets4me wrote:Nonsense ! Pointing out glaringly obvious examples of people being treated unequally, is not " whataboutery ", it's about equal treatment ... you used to be keen on that sort of thing !
Equal under the law, yes. And he will go on trial just like you or I would go on trial if we were accused of this crime.

This guy might have literally murdered multiple innocent civilians. How can any decent person want someone to get away with that? There's a lot of valid complaints about other multiple murderers getting away with killing innocent civilians, but it is glaringly hypocritical to complain about that WHILE arguing that this guy should be allowed to get away with it, should he be guilty.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Lancasterclaret » Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:46 pm

And one of my best friends from school days is dead because of the murderous terrorists. If only his killers were pursued with the same vigour and vigilance that is afforded our armed service personnel.
Yes, and those two lads who died in Warrington. One dad is like you, and the other one is now an advocate for the peace process.

What is more important than anything is that the fighting and the killing is over (at least in a way that is now just glorified criminal gangs fighting it out)

Is it right that your mate died? Of course it isn't, and I hope the people who did it got their just desserts.

But I repeat, thousands of people are alive today because of the GFA. Thats the bigger picture, however horrible it is on a personal level.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Herts Clarets » Thu Mar 14, 2019 3:06 pm

Lancasterclaret wrote:Yes, and those two lads who died in Warrington. One dad is like you, and the other one is now an advocate for the peace process.

What is more important than anything is that the fighting and the killing is over (at least in a way that is now just glorified criminal gangs fighting it out)

Is it right that your mate died? Of course it isn't, and I hope the people who did it got their just desserts.

But I repeat, thousands of people are alive today because of the GFA. Thats the bigger picture, however horrible it is on a personal level.
I admire the work that Colin Parry has done. It must make him a better man than me to stand face to face with the head of the organization who ordered the bombing that robbed him of his son. I could not show such compassion, forgiveness and nor could I have shown restraint had I been face to face with McGuinness.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by dsr » Thu Mar 14, 2019 3:27 pm

Imploding Turtle wrote:Equal under the law, yes. And he will go on trial just like you or I would go on trial if we were accused of this crime.

This guy might have literally murdered multiple innocent civilians. How can any decent person want someone to get away with that? There's a lot of valid complaints about other multiple murderers getting away with killing innocent civilians, but it is glaringly hypocritical to complain about that WHILE arguing that this guy should be allowed to get away with it, should he be guilty.
That depends on whether or not you have killed people in the name of a united Ireland. If you were an Irish terrorist, you would not go on trial; because this soldier is not an Irish terrorist, he will go on trial. The Good Friday agreement specifically says that certain people are not equal under the law.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by TheFamilyCat » Thu Mar 14, 2019 3:38 pm

dsr wrote:That depends on whether or not you have killed people in the name of a united Ireland. If you were an Irish terrorist, you would not go on trial; because this soldier is not an Irish terrorist, he will go on trial. The Good Friday agreement specifically says that certain people are not equal under the law.
That is the fault of the people who signed the agreement.

Prosecutors now are just abiding by due process, they can’t decide not to prosecute because it “isn’t fair”.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Lancasterclaret » Thu Mar 14, 2019 3:42 pm

I admire the work that Colin Parry has done. It must make him a better man than me to stand face to face with the head of the organization who ordered the bombing that robbed him of his son. I could not show such compassion, forgiveness and nor could I have shown restraint had I been face to face with McGuinness.
Yep, know exactly where you are coming from. 100% sure I could not do what Colin Parry did, but it takes men like that to solve stuff like this

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by CleggHall » Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:24 pm

11 unarmed civilians were killed by the paras at Ballymurphy, Belfast some time before Bloody Sunday, it's a pity no firmer action was taken there.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Imploding Turtle » Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:27 pm

dsr wrote:That depends on whether or not you have killed people in the name of a united Ireland. If you were an Irish terrorist, you would not go on trial; because this soldier is not an Irish terrorist, he will go on trial. The Good Friday agreement specifically says that certain people are not equal under the law.

Then we prosecute and convict as many evil ******* as we can without violating the agreement. Why does it matter what side they were on?

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by DCWat » Thu Mar 14, 2019 5:00 pm

It’ll be interesting to eventually find out what the evidence was.

It’s a sorry state of affairs and I can certainly see why people think it unfair, when so many IRA murders have gone unsolved and murderers released.

Ultimately though, if this soldier is proven to have shot at innocent, unarmed people, without the grounds to do so, in my eyes, it’s murder and he should face the appropriate punishment.

Though I can’t help question just how innocent all of the victims were and we must consider just how difficult it must have been to be roaming the streets, knowing full well that the IRA may have been aiming, and perhaps firing, guns at them from the surrounding buildings.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by JarrowClaret » Thu Mar 14, 2019 5:15 pm

Agreed DC it is without doubt that Bloody Sunday was the IRAs biggest recruiter and almost certainly extended the troubles beyond there natural conclusion as support for the IRA was at low point up until this. So with that in mind Soldier F if proved guilty of firing indiscriminately into a group of Civilians he deserves all he gets from the judiciary. The problem for me is that there are a number factors to consider even then.

What was his rules of engagement? I doubt they were particularly strict but I don’t know.
1 Para deployed with no formal training having been a couple of months earlier been WARFIGHTING in Malaya I think it was.
Was the IRA active (I have absolutely no doubt they were why wouldn’t they have been)
Did he feel life threatened

Probably more to consider also

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by basil6345789 » Thu Mar 14, 2019 5:26 pm

A sample scapegoat of 1 should be enough to score some political points.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by willsclarets » Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:57 pm

It should be noted that this isn't violating the agreement, given it was written that no prosecutions would be brought for crimes such as these committed from 1973 onwards. Should there have been enough evidence to prosecute the two IRA members implicated in this case, they would be in court too.

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by AlargeClaret » Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:00 pm

Awful state of affairs kicked off my Blair as this was the bone they insisted on for the GFA and even DC made a grovelling apology .Sadly there was always gonna be a scapegoat in this affair and these wounds run deep .It would be wholly innapropiate to 2nd guess the exact details of this soldiers actions ,which will be part of literally mountains of evidence on both sides .
Needs to be drastic law changes for combatants suffering back dated allegations in open theatre though .

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Re: Bloody Sunday 1 soldier to be prosecuted

Post by Pimlico_Claret » Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:41 pm

Where's Boris, complaining about the waste of money on this historical case?

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