‘Soldier F’ will not attend September 18 court hearing: PPS

The first listing of the case is to take place at Derry Courthouse on Wednesday, September 18.

The ex-paratrooper, now aged 67, is to be charged with the murders of James Wray and William McKinney and the attempted murder of four other people.

It’s understood official court papers were served on Soldier F’s legal team a number of weeks ago.

The NI Public Prosecution Service has told a number of the Bloody Sunday families that the case against Soldier F is to be challenged in the Magistrates’ Court.

The PPS says the September 18 hearing will likely be a short procedural hearing in relation to the timetabling of the case going forward.

In a letter to one of the families, a PPS representative says the case will not be proceeding as a committal hearing [at which a Magistrate determines whether there is enough evidence from the prosecution for the case to go to trial] on September 18 and, as such, the accused will not be attending in person. His legal representatives will be there on his behalf.