A man walks past a Bloody Sunday mural in the Bogside, Derry

A man walks past a Bloody Sunday mural in the Bogside, Derry

Ex-soldiers who face questioning over Bloody Sunday have won their High Court battle against being transferred to Northern Ireland for police interview.

Last month, seven former paratroopers asked the High Court to stop them being arrested and brought to Northern Ireland.

Thirteen people were shot dead on 30 January 1972 in Londonderry when soldiers opened fire on crowds.

Fourteen others were wounded, one of whom died months later.

The former Parachute Regiment members launched their judicial review action at the High Court in London against the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

An earlier hearing was told that former paratroopers had no issue with being interviewed and would co-operate and that the challenge revolved around where they would be interviewed.

A lawyer for the men said the issue at the heart of their application was that the men should not be arrested and interviewed in Northern Ireland.

Controversial

The former soldiers’ legal action was lodged after one of their colleagues was arrested in County Antrim and interviewed at a police station in Belfast before being released on bail the following day.

Bloody Sunday was one of the most controversial days in Northern Ireland’s history.

The fatal shootings were the subject of a 12-year public inquiry led by Lord Saville.

The Saville Report, published in 2010, unequivocally blamed the army for the civilian deaths and exonerated those who were killed.

Prime Minister David Cameron accepted the findings of the report and made a public apology to the victims.

BBC News