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A former British soldier is to be prosecuted for the murder of a man in Belfast in 1972.
The ex-soldier and three different veterans are additionally going through tried murder counts associated to incidents in the similar yr.
Soldier F is accused of the murder of Patrick McVeigh, 44, who was shot at the junction of Finaghy Road North and Riverdale Park South in the metropolis on May 13 1972.
He may even face prosecution for the tried murder of 4 different victims wounded in the similar incident.
The ex-soldier and three different veterans are additionally going through tried murder counts associated to incidents in the similar yr, the PPS stated.
Soldier F and three different former troopers – generally known as Soldiers B, C and D – are to be prosecuted for the tried murder of two victims during a capturing incident in Slievegallion Drive on May 12 1972.
The troopers all belonged to momentary military unit, generally known as the Military Reaction Force (MRF), that was working in Belfast in 1972.
As the prosecution choices have now been taken, the circumstances won’t be affected by a contentious Government legacy legislation that can axe all future prosecutions associated to the Troubles from May 1 this yr.
The PPS has introduced choices on two recordsdata submitted by the PSNI’s Legacy Investigation Branch following investigations into the actions of the MRF.
The second file associated the actions of one other MRF unit and concerned an incident in which Daniel Rooney, 18, was shot useless in St James’s Road in Belfast on September 26 1972 and a second man suffered a gunshot wound.
Police reported two former troopers, generally known as Soldiers A and C, for consideration on this file, with each thought-about for the potential cost of murder and tried murder.
The PPS has concluded that there’s inadequate proof to prosecute any particular person for any offence.
The causes for the determination included difficulties with the admissibility of accounts obtained from the troopers in 1972 and the incapacity of a collection of latest forensic examinations to present proof succesful of resolving vital conflicts inside the proof.
Some of the anonymised letter ciphers given to the troopers concerned in the circumstances are the similar as ones used in different historic prosecutions in Northern Ireland, similar to Soldier F in the Bloody Sunday case, however they don’t seem to be the similar people.
In relation to the different incidents lined in the first file, the PPS additionally determined not to prosecute the one surviving suspect of a capturing incident at Silvio Street on May 26 1972 in which nobody was injured.
Prosecutors additionally determined not to prosecute one surviving suspect in an incident at the Glen Road Bus Terminus on June 22 1972 in which 4 victims suffered gunshot wounds.
The police additionally investigated a capturing on the Glen Road on May 6 1972 in which one sufferer suffered a gunshot wound.
However, no determination was issued in that case as all the suspects are useless.
The PPS stated the surviving suspects in the Silvio Street incident and the capturing at the Glen Road Bus Terminus had not discharged their weapons and there was inadequate proof to set up that they had been social gathering to any joint enterprise with these troopers, now deceased, who had fired.
PPS assistant director Martin Hardy stated all victims and households concerned in the investigations had been knowledgeable of the choices on Thursday.
“Regardless of the differing outcomes in relation to each incident examined, we in the PPS recognise that this is a painful day for all victims and families involved and that they have waited a long time to reach this stage of the process,” he stated.
“Where a decision to prosecute has been taken, I would emphasise that criminal proceedings will commence in due course and there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in any way prejudice these proceedings. We will keep in touch with the relevant victims and families as these cases progress.
“Where a decision not to prosecute has been taken, I can assure victims and families involved that the prosecution team, which included an independent senior barrister, considered the available evidence thoroughly, independently and impartially.
“A prosecution can only be brought when the evidence presents a reasonable prospect of conviction at court for any reported individual. Each case is considered in light of its own individual facts and circumstances.
“In these decisions not to prosecute, the admissibility, availability and sufficiency of evidence were key factors in reaching a conclusion that the test for prosecution was not met.”
Mr Hardy stated victims and households who had been notified of a call not to prosecute had acquired an in depth written clarification of the causes, together with a proposal to meet the prosecution staff.
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