Paratrooper Lee Clegg's entire defence was branded "a tissue of lies from start to finish" at his Belfast retrial yesterday for the murder of teenager Karen Reilly.
Mr Reg Weir QC, prosecuting, not only claimed Clegg had "no reason" for firing on the stolen Vauxhall Astra in which Ms Reilly was a passenger, but also accused "other soldiers" on patrol with him of doing the same.
The accusations came as Mr Weir concluded his cross-examination of the 31-year-old who denies murdering Ms Reilly (18) in September 1990.
Earlier Mr Weir claimed Clegg's version of events about the shooting was a "pack of lies - a complete and utter made-up story". Clegg maintained - "No sir, I opened fire because this car is being driven at Pte Aindow's position and I believed he'd been hit by this car."
Mr Weir continued: "And I suggest to you that despite all this scientific information that has come to light, some of it produced by your own advisers - you have had to stick to the story - even though the scientific information we have doesn't fit in with that."
Clegg again maintained he was only telling the court - "what I saw and that is what I did".
Mr Weir accused Clegg of not only firing on the car as it approached him, but also said: "you fired after this car and you shot this girl for no reason whatever". "No I did not sir," replied the defendant, who then repeated he had opened fire in defence of his colleague Pte Chris Aindow.
Clegg told Crown Court trial judge Mr Justice Kerr he believed he had been acting within the instructions on his "army yellow card", which details when soldiers may open fire.
Clegg said he had been told if he acted on those instructions he "should be OK in law". He claimed he had opened fire under section five on the "card".
Part of the section states soldiers can fire on a vehicle deliberately presenting a danger if there was no other way of stopping it, or if it had killed or injured someone and there was no other means of effecting an arrest. Mr Justice Kerr will continue questioning Clegg today, after which it is expected his patrol commander that night, Lieut Andrew David Oliver, will give evidence on his behalf.