Soldier F barrister tells court British Cabinet Office has hard drive with ‘hundreds of thousands of pages’ that could be relevant

The disclosure was made by Ian Turkington who represents ‘Soldier F’ who is charged with the murder of Jim Wray and William McKinney on January 30 1972 and five attempted murders of others involved in the civil rights march.

At a hearing on Tuesday at Derry's Bishop Street courthouse the court was told that there had been progress in the disclosure process.

Mr. Turkington told the hearing that 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'.

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 United States.

Mr. Turkington also told the court that they were having difficulty contacting John Goddard who made a documentary for Channel 4 on Bloody Sunday.

The barrister suggested that the PPS and the police would be better placed to search for Mr. Goddard and District Judge Ted Magill suggested that both parties should attempt to find potential witnesses.

The hearing also heard 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 13 to allow further progress on the disclosure.

He repeated his determination to bring the PI to a conclusion before the end of the year.

He has set aside a week beginning December 11 for closing submissions.

Soldier F appears by Sightlink at the hearings and Judge Magill said previously that even if he was returned for trial today it would be 'impossible' for a trial to take place before next year.