The preliminary inquiry involving the only British soldier charged in connection with the Bloody Sunday killings in Derry in 1972 has been told that there are 101 statements relevant to the day in the possession of the Irish Government.
The disclosure was made by Ian Turkington who represents Soldier F, who is charged with the murder of Jim Wray and William McKinney on Bloody Sunday and the attempted murder of five others.
Thirteen people were killed when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in Derry’s Bogside on January 30th, 1972. Another of the wounded died later.
A hearing on Tuesday at Derry’s Bishop Street courthouse was told there has been progress in the disclosure process. Mr Turkington said copies of the original signed statements from witnesses had been handed over.
He disclosed that there were 101 statements in the possession of the Irish Government but that these “reflect the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association statements”.
Mr Turkington also disclosed that there was a hard drive in possession of the British Cabinet Office containing “hundreds of thousands of pages” that may be relevant.
The court was also told that attempts were underway to try and obtain material uncovered by Derry author Don Mullan, which is currently in the possession of De Paul university in Chicago in the US.
Mr Turkington also said they were having difficulty contacting John Goddard who made a documentary on Bloody Sunday for Channel 4.
The barrister suggested that the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) and the police would be better placed to search for Mr Goddard. District Judge Ted Magill suggested that both parties should attempt to find potential witnesses.
The hearing was also told that photos had been supplied that were of a higher quality than those previously used by the court.
Judge Magill said he would adjourn the case until November 13th to allow further progress on the disclosure. He repeated his determination to bring the preliminary enquiry to a conclusion before the end of the year. He has set aside a week beginning December 11th for closing submissions.
