James Wray (left) and William McKinney murdered by British soldier on Bloody Sunday in Derry in January 1972
At a hearing at Derry Nagistrates’ Court on Wednesday, June 10, a district judge said it is likely that Soldier F will appear at a committal hearing via electronic means.
He is charged with the murders of James Wray and William McKinney.
He is also charged with the attempted murder of five other people.
District Judge Peter Magill told the court his intention was for proceedings to go ahead on Thursday, July 16, as scheduled.
He said he was mindful of the advice from the Lord Chief Justice that only emergency court matters should be dealt with at present due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But he said he was looking at the July date “in the optimistic expectation that things will have improved considerably by then”.
The court was trying to progress matters as expeditiously as possible, he said.
District Judge Magill said he was “balancing the situation we find ourselves in with the needs of justice”.
The judge said that if everyone else was appearing at the July proceedings electronically then to require Soldier F “to come to court in person would be disproportionate”.
He added that Soldier F was over 70 and the current advice was that that age group should be shielding.
Thirteen people were killed and 15 wounded when members of the Army’s Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in Derry on Sunday, January 30, 1972.
A 14th person died a few months later from their injuries.
The Public Prosecution Service decided in March 2019 that Soldier F, as he was known at the Bloody Sunday public inquiry, would be the only ex-paratrooper to be charged.
However, lawyers for families of other victims have called on the PPS to review that decision.
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