Soldier F cleared of 1972 murder on Bloody Sunday

The only British army veteran ever charged in relation to Bloody Sunday has been found not guilty of murder and attempted murder.

- Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent

Belfast crown court yesterday acquitted Soldier F of all charges in relation to the day the Parachute regiment shot dead 13 civil rights protesters in Derry in 1972, a seminal event in Northern Ireland's Troubles.

Mr Justice Lynch said prosecutors had failed to prove guilt and that the passage of time - almost 54 years - had made the legal process difficult.

"To convict it has to be upon evidence that is convincing and manifestly reliable. The evidence presented by the crown falls well short of this standard and signally fails to reach the high standard of proof required in a criminal case; that of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, I find the accused not guilty on all seven counts on the present bill of indictment."

The verdict prompted polarised reactions outside the court, where families of the dead men said justice had been denied but supporters of the former paratrooper hailed the end of what they called a witch-hunt.

It was a dramatic climax to a five-week trial closely watched by nationalists, army veterans and the British and Irish governments. The judge presided without a jury, which is permitted in exceptional cases.