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DeliciousParas could face perjury charges
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Saville inquiry into the deaths of 13 protesters on 30 January 1972 reported that all but one of the paratroopers involved in the events "knowingly put forward false accounts in order to seek to justify their firing" during a tribunal.
"The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has now received a copy of the Saville report, which refers to certain witnesses providing evidence to the inquiry which was knowingly untrue," a spokesman for Northern Ireland's PPS said.
The spokesman said that the PPS was working with the Crown Prosecution Service to consider perjury options as the evidence was given by the soldiers in England for security reasons.
"It is noted that some evidence was given to the inquiry sitting in London," the spokesman said. "The PPS will consider in consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service where jurisdiction lies in regard to any possible offences that arise."
Some of the families of those killed on Bloody Sunday are also pressing for murder charges to be brought against the soldiers.
Speaking to The Guardian, solicitor Greg McCartney said the family of victim Jim Wray were calling for murder prosecutions against the soldiers as well as perjury charges.
"I was with the Wray family after they had seen the report," said McCartney, "and their view is that they wanted truth and justice. They have now been given the truth and now they expect justice. We want to see murder charges. It's a clear case of murder.
"Soldiers gave accounts that were not truthful so there is the question of perjury."
HAVE YOUR SAY
I take it Martin McGuiness will also be charged for 'forgetting' about running about with, and firing his Sub machine gun during the 'missing' 25 minutes in his testimony?.
Fair is Fair after all.
Steve - Essex
If the Paras are to be charged then surely Adams and Mcguinness should also be charged. As everyone knows but very conveniently forgets, they are directly responible for ordering the murders of every soldier,police officer, prison officer and civilian including women and children during the years of war. A war that sinn fein/ira declared and then when it was not winning started to complain and say we were not playing fair because we actually dared to shoot back and kill some of them.
The Paras are and always will be Heroes for what they did that day.
Peter - Ashton-Under-Lyne
I spent a good many tours in Ulster during the Troubles, and I never had the dubious pleasure of meeting Mcguiness or Adams. However, a measure of Mcguiness may be gained from my vivid recollections of the time, which mentioned that he had two "friends" named Mr Black and Mr Decker, who came together to modify people's kneecaps. Cheaper then shooting, I suppose. Please don't waste any sympathy on those who orchestrated the violence which led to Bloody Sunday. The scenario was created by people just like Mcguiness and Adams, and they are the ones who should be answering questions about 30 year old events, and not our guys.
mike hemingway - wales uk