The family of Bloody Sunday victim William McKinney has reacted angrily to a decision by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) not to challenge former paratrooper `Soldier F’s’ anonymity.
Soldier F is charged with the murders of Mr McKinney and Jim Wray on January 30 1972. He also faces five charges of attempted murder on Bloody Sunday. The former soldier’s identity has been withheld from the public throughout the 52 years since Bloody Sunday.
However, families believe he should be treated the same as any other murder or attempted murder suspect and that the anonymity order should be lifted. In advance of a hearing at Belfast on Friday, Michael McKinney, brother of William, said the family had expected the PPS to challenge the anonymity.
Mr McKinney said: “Our family are very angry at the stance that the PPS has taken in relation to Soldier F’s anonymity application. We feel that it should fight tooth and nail if it wishes to retain our family’s confidence in this prosecution.”
He said his family knew Soldier F’s name and watched him give evidence in open court at the Saville Inquiry in London in 2003. He said Soldier F’s identity was known to anyone who had an interest in Bloody Sunday.
He added that he was disappointed that the PPS did not take time to seek the family’s views on the position that it has adopted.
Solicitor Ciaran Sheils of Madden and Finucane said the families and wounded were victims and should be treated as such.
“They are entitled to expect to be informed of critical decisions in respect of the future direction of this prosecution,” Mr Shiels said.
The families would not have been aware of the PPS decision not to contest anonymity if their legal representatives had not sought confirmation, the solicitor said.
“It is time the defendant was treated like any other defendant on trial for the most serious offences and not afforded protections which he neither requires nor deserves,” he said.
A PPS spokeswoman said Soldier F’s anonymity was a live legal issue which would be dealt with by the court.
“The PPS is aware of the families’ views on this issue and has facilitated these being placed before the court,” they said.
“The PPS has communicated with the families’ solicitor as regard the basis of the position that it intends to take in respect of the forthcoming application and will continue to engage with the families to explain its approach to the conduct of this case.”
