THE PUBLIC Prosecution Service (PPS) will announce on Wednesday, March 14 whether or not to charge British soldiers over the murders of 14 unarmed people on Bloody Sunday.
This week the PPS wrote to relatives of all those shot dead on Bloody Sunday to update them on progress on its investigation, the Irish News has reported.
The large file has been under review by a senior crown counsel prosecutor and a senior PPS directing officer.
A murder investigation was launched by the PSNI following the publication of the Saville Inquiry’s report in 2010.
It found there was no justification for any of the killings during the anti-internment protest on January 30, 1972.
Thirteen people were shot dead when members of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators.
A fourteenth person died later.
Even though Lord Saville’s inquiry unearthed a lot of new evidence and was highly critical of some of the soldiers’ actions, the PSNI launched a criminal investigation in an effort to gather its own evidence.
This was because of an undertaking given by the British Attorney General that witnesses would be immune from prosecution on any grounds of self-incrimination.
Last month it was revealed that one of the former soldiers being investigated over Bloody Sunday had died.
Soldier N, a former lieutenant in the Parachute Regiment, was being investigated in connection with the shooting and wounding of Derry man, Michael Bridge.
Mr Bridge was shot and badly injured when he remonstrated with soldiers after they had fatally wounded teenager, Jackie Duddy.
Soldier N’s conduct as an officer was criticised by Lord Saville who said there had been a “serious and widespread loss of fire discipline” among soldiers because of shots fired by him.
The Inquiry criticised the former soldier, not only for opening fire, but for failing to realise the impact his shooting would have on other members of his regiment.
Killed on Bloody Sunday: The victims
One soldier, who later joined the NI Prison Service, was arrested at his Co Antrim home and questioned over his role in the unlawful killings.
He was later released on police bail pending a file to the PPS>
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