Soldier F.

I think that those who contribute abuse and conflate various issues do not want a discussion about whether a soldier killing a civilian should ever be a crime or not.
Yet there have been multiple comments in this forum recently, of IDF committing war crimes.
Why is it OK to discuss another country's soldiers' war crime, but avoid discussing possible crimes by our own soldiers?
 
What does that have to do with whether British soldiers should get away with murder?
He didn't get away with murder , a trial was held and the judge acquitted him.
The Judge said that evidence against the veteren fell well short of what was required to have a reasonable prospect of a conviction.
 
He didn't get away with murder , a trial was held and the judge acquitted him.
The Judge said that evidence against the veteren fell well short of what was required to have a reasonable prospect of a conviction.
I think I can safely say that I'm sure morqthana meant he wasn't punished for the murder.
It appears that it is an accepted fact that several people were murdered that day, and without any doubt, by the British Army.
The difficulty has been finding exactly who was responsible for those murders.
 
The prosecuting proces is to determine his guilt or innocence.
You can't pronounce anyone guilty or innocent without that process.
As I have pointed out before, the Judge who acquitted the veteren , said that the evidence presented by the prosecution fell well short of what is required to secure a successful prosecution.

Normally historic criminal cases can only be reopened if there is compelling new evidence to justify reopening the case.
The new evidence has to be of a quality that would give the prosecution a reasonable chance of securing a conviction.
In the case of soldier F there was no new evidence, in fact there was less evidence than there was 50 years ago when the incidents were first investigated by the police.
 
As I have pointed out before, the Judge who acquitted the veteren , said that the evidence presented by the prosecution fell well short of what is required to secure a successful prosecution.

Normally historic criminal cases can only be reopened if there is compelling new evidence to justify reopening the case.
The new evidence has to be of a quality that would give the prosecution a reasonable chance of securing a conviction.
In the case of soldier F there was no new evidence, in fact there was less evidence than there was 50 years ago when the incidents were first investigated by the police.
It wasn't a case ('scuse the pun) of reopening a case. This was the first trial to have ever been held for these killings.
And there were many shortcomings identified, such as collection of evidence and other invetsigations at the time.
 
I think I can safely say that I'm sure morqthana meant he wasn't punished for the murder.
It appears that it is an accepted fact that several people were murdered that day, and without any doubt, by the British Army.
The difficulty has been finding exactly who was responsible for those murders.
That is the problem, bringing prosecutions against ex soldiers without a realistic chance of a conviction brings the judicial system into disrepute.

The perception of the public is the charges are malicious and part of a witch hunt for political purposes.
 
do not want a discussion about whether a soldier killing a civilian should ever be a crime or not.
you do not want an honest discussion that puts the situation in context

the British soldiers in Ireland were a peacekeeping force that faced danger every day, hundreds were injured and killed


when you actually want an honest discussion, then we can debate it
 
It wasn't a case ('scuse the pun) of reopening a case. This was the first trial to have ever been held for these killings.
And there were many shortcomings identified, such as collection of evidence and other invetsigations at the time.
The decision to prosecute was made in 2019 but was dropped, for some reason it was reopened in 2022 even though evidentially nothing had changed.

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you do not want an honest discussion that puts the situation in context

the British soldiers in Ireland were a peacekeeping force that faced danger every day, hundreds were injured and killed


when you actually want an honest discussion, then we can debate it
Exactly this ^^^^^^^^^
 
He didn't get away with murder , a trial was held and the judge acquitted him.
The Judge said that evidence against the veteren fell well short of what was required to have a reasonable prospect of a conviction.
The judge also said in his verdict that he was satisfied that soldiers had lost all sense of military discipline and opened fire with intent to kill and that “those responsible should hang their heads in shame”.

Mickey McKinney, brother of William McKinney, one of the two victims named in the case, denounced the verdict outside the courtroom on Thursday. “Soldier F has been discharged from the defendant’s criminal dock, but it is one million miles away from being an honourable discharge,” McKinney said. “Soldier F created two young widows on Bloody Sunday, he orphaned 12 children, and he deprived dozens of siblings of a loving brother,”

“The blame lies firmly with the British state, with the RUC [the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the Northern Irish police], who failed to investigate the murders on Bloody Sunday properly, or indeed at all,”
McKinney said.
 
The judge also said in his verdict that he was satisfied that soldiers had lost all sense of military discipline and opened fire with intent to kill and that “those responsible should hang their heads in shame”.

Mickey McKinney, brother of William McKinney, one of the two victims named in the case, denounced the verdict outside the courtroom on Thursday. “Soldier F has been discharged from the defendant’s criminal dock, but it is one million miles away from being an honourable discharge,” McKinney said. “Soldier F created two young widows on Bloody Sunday, he orphaned 12 children, and he deprived dozens of siblings of a loving brother,”

“The blame lies firmly with the British state, with the RUC [the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the Northern Irish police], who failed to investigate the murders on Bloody Sunday properly, or indeed at all,”
McKinney said.
Faced with what the soldiers were faced with it is of no surprise this happened. Para’s are highly trained killing machines. Throw rocks at them and petrol bombs, they won’t be throwing them back.
 
Faced with what the soldiers were faced with it is of no surprise this happened. Para’s are highly trained killing machines. Throw rocks at them and petrol bombs, they won’t be throwing them back.
2Para are not suitable troops for a peacekeeping force: they should never have been deployed.
 
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