Paratroopers threaten to return medals over decision to charge soldier with Bloody Sunday murders

The decision to charge a former paratrooper with two Bloody Sunday murders has been met with outrage by his former comrades.

On Thursday, Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) announced the ex-serviceman – only identified as Soldier F – would be prosecuted for the killings 46 years after the deaths.

Angry veterans have reportedly pledged to post their Northern Ireland Campaign medals back to the Queen to protest the ‘scapegoating’ of Soldier F, who is now in his seventies.

One solider who decided to return his award said: ‘Tell them what they can do with our medals and how far they can shove them.’

Another wrote: ‘The medals mean nothing when the very people who issued them are stabbing us all in the back.’

The medals were given to members of the Armed Forces who had 30 days’ continuous service in Northern Ireland.

According to the Daily Mail, ex-service members are trying to raise funds to provide Soldier F with an independent legal team over fears the Ministry of Defence appointed lawyers could put the Government’s interests first.

A march on Downing Street and a picket of the court has also been planned for when the trial takes place, with hundreds of veterans from various regiments in the Army reportedly taking part.

Soldier F has been charged with the murders of James Wray and William McKinney and the attempted murders of Joseph Friel, Michael Quin, Joe Mahon and Patrick O’Donnell during Bloody Sunday in Londonderry in 1972.

The pair were two of 13 people gunned down during a civil rights demonstration, which became one of the most notorious days of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

A further 15 people were injured after soldiers opened fire on marchers and one victim died months later.

Soldier F is the only one out of 17 paratroopers who were suspected of killing the protesters.

Officials said that there is ‘insufficient evidence’ to prosecute any of the others.

The victims’ families have called for justice, while supporters of the soldiers say it is unfair for them to face charges decades after the event.