Kathleen Thompson inquest: ex-soldier says no shots fired at army

A former British soldier who was providing cover on the night Derry woman Kathleen Thompson was shot dead nearly 50 years ago has told an inquest that ‘no shots were fired in our direction - no one attacked us.’
By The Newsroom
Published 25th Feb 2021, 17:01 BST
The late Kathleen Thompson.The late Kathleen Thompson.
The late Kathleen Thompson.

Mrs Thompson (47), a mother of six, was shot dead in the garden of her Creggan home on November 6, 1971, during an army raid on the estate.

The ex-soldier, identified as KTM 368, was giving evidence to the resumed inquest today after technical issues had interrupted his testimony on Wednesday.

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The witness said he remembered being on the search operation on the night of November 5/6, 1971, as it was when he was involved in a training course.

He said his role was to provide cover to the search party but was ‘not required to do so’ as nothing happened.

KTM 368 said he had difficulty recalling details about the operation, adding that he could not remember any talk of Mrs Thompson being shot dead.

The witness said he had been shown statements from various soldiers - referred to as Soldier A through to E - and said that, while they jogged his memory, he didn’t believe any of them were made by him.

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The former soldier was asked had he ever come under fire while in Derry and he said he had but he had no memory of being fired at on the night of November 5/6.

Asked by Ian Skelt QC, Counsel for the Coroner, if there was anything exceptional about the operation that night, he replied, ‘there was an incident and we had to withdraw quickly’.

The witness was asked what the incident was and replied that he did not know but now assumed it was the shooting of Kathleen Thompson.

The former soldier was asked by Mr Skelt about a statement by a Soldier C who claimed that, as they withdrew from the search operation, he had seen a gunman with a woman standing behind him.

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Soldier C claimed another soldier fired and he saw the gunman ‘slump’ and heard a woman scream.

KTM 368 said he did not make any of those statements as he did not recall seeing a gunman or hearing a woman scream.

Asked about Soldier D, who has already given evidence that he believed he fired the fatal shots, the witness said he knew him at the time but could not remember anything about him on the training course.

The hearing continues.