Five former Official IRA men who have come forward to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry will be placed at greater risk of attack if the tribunal hears intelligence material about them, their lawyer claimed today.
The five, who include two men alleged to have opened fire that day, believe the move would allow others to "build up a large ball of mud and throw it straight at them", barrister Gareth Purvis told a special sitting of the inquiry in the Guildhall in Derry.
In a written submission, Mr Purvis and Brian Fee QC stated: "We agree that to trawl through the type of evidence sought will only increase the risks of reprisals, particularly if the involvement in a notorious incident is alluded to in unsubstantiated intelligence."
The inquiry, chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate, was set up three years ago to re-examine the killings of 13 Catholic men and youths when paratroopers opened fire during a civil rights march on January 30th 1972.
It is currently considering whether to introduce material on the files of the RUC, Army and MI5 about the 1,200 people it has taken statements from - and if so, in what form.
Lawyers for the troops claim the material is essential in the search for the truth and should reveal whether witnesses who allege soldiers committed murder that day can be believed. They also claim it would help shed light on the IRA and what it was doing on Bloody Sunday.
Mr Purvis, who claimed earlier this year his clients offered a "positive and possibly very, very significant impact" on proceedings, said the exercise would be pointless when the five had already admitted their roles. His clients are currently seeking anonymity at the inquiry.
PA