The Government has paid £4.3 million in legal fees for the defence of Soldier F, the Parachute Regiment member who stood trial accused of murdering two people on Bloody Sunday.
Last week, a judge-only court sitting in Belfast found Soldier F not guilty of committing two murders and five attempted murders in Derry in January 1972.
Soldiers opened fire following a civil rights march in the Bogside area of the city, 13 people were shot dead – a 14th died later – and at least 15 others injured.
Soldier F, whose anonymity is protected by a court order, faced charges of murdering James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 26.
The veteran had also been accused of attempting to murder Michael Quinn, Patrick O’Donnell, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon and an unknown person.
The non-jury trial heard evidence across four weeks which included statements by two of Soldier F’s colleagues.
Delivering his judgment at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Patrick Lynch said the evidence presented against the veteran fell “well short” of what was required for conviction.
However, the judge said that members of the Parachute Regiment had shot dead unarmed civilians, and those involved should “hang their heads in shame”.
The not guilty verdict was welcomed by unionists, but the families of those who died voiced disappointment at the outcome.
Foyle MP Colum Eastwood submitted a parliamentary question asking for a breakdown of the legal fees paid to defend Soldier F.
The private defence team was paid for by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), who supported the former soldier throughout the trial process.
In a response it was confirmed that to date £4.3 million had been paid to Soldier F’s legal team, with that figure expected to rise further.
Other expenses associated with case, the Government has said, could not be accurately calculated.
Following the revelation, the former SDLP leader said: “Soldier F came to Derry as part of a regiment that shot and killed innocent civil rights protestors as they ran for their lives.
“He is a self-confessed killer and yet for more than 50 years, he has been a protected species in the eyes of the British Government.
“Able and enabled to go about his life while his actions subjected good, innocent people in our city to decades of heartache and hurt.
“In spite of the clear conclusions of Lord Saville, which I would again encourage everyone to read in detail, the British Government has spent £4.3m of our money to defend Soldier F over the last six years.
“The premium that is placed on defending soldiers, even when the state knows what they did, is an insult to victims who are left to fight for truth and justice alone. It is sick.”
He added: “The people of Derry will never leave the Bloody Sunday families and the wounded to fight alone. We are still with them and will never abandon them.”
In response the parliamentary question, a spokesperson for the MoD said: “The Ministry of Defence is committed to supporting veterans and their families. As part pf this, Soldier F has received legal and welfare support throughout his legal proceedings at public expense.
“The legal fees associated with these proceedings (including associated judicial reviews) amount to £4.3 million, which may marginally rise once the final bills are received.
“These costs cover the period from when Soldier F was initially charged in March 2019. This includes costs associated with the Judicial Review leading to the PPS recommencing proceedings in 2022.
“Legal representation has been provided by the same experienced legal team since the Saville Inquiry, supplemented by leading solicitors and barristers, including Kings Counsel, based in Northern Ireland.
“Other costs associated with the support of Soldier F, such as pastoral care, arrangement and payment of travel and accommodation, etc, are met from a central budget and involve the time of various employees for which a specific cost cannot be calculated”.
The figure is only in relation to defence costs and does not include the costs of the prosecution case.
Following the verdict Ciaran Shiels, a solicitor who represents some of the Bloody Sunday families, said there was no right of appeal in the case.
But he said they were waiting for a review from the Public Prosecution Service in relation to alleged perjury by former soldier known as Soldier H at the Saville Inquiry, and said they would push for a prosecution to be taken “without further delay”.
Reacting to the costs, Mr Shiels said “an obscene amount of public money” had been used in the defence of Soldier F.
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