‘We took them to the wire’ – Bloody Sunday families vow to continue campaign

The family of a man killed on Bloody Sunday have vowed to fight on following the acquittal of a former soldier for his murder.

The McKinney family, surrounded by supporters, spoke with pride of having taken it “to the wire” outside Belfast Crown Court on Thursday afternoon after Soldier F was found not guilty of two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder.

The former paratrooper had been charged with the murders of William McKinney and James Wray in the shootings in Londonderry in 1972.

Mr McKinney’s brother Mickey said the failure to bring anyone to justice over the killings “lies with the British state”.

But he said they left court with pride in how far they had taken it.

“The families and wounded and our supporters leave this courthouse with an incredible sense of pride in our achievements,” he told media outside court.

“The blame lies firmly with the British state, with the RUC who failed to investigate the murders on Bloody Sunday properly, or indeed at all; and with the British Army who shielded and enabled its soldiers to continue to murder with impunity.”

He was also adamant that their campaign for justice is not over.

“We’re not finished yet,” he said.

“It’s a big one, we took them to the wire.”

Ciaran Shiels, a solicitor who represents some of the Bloody Sunday families, said there was no right of appeal in the case.

But he said they were waiting for a review from the Public Prosecution Service in relation to alleged perjury by former soldier known as Soldier H at the Saville Inquiry, and said they would push for a prosecution to be taken “without further delay”.