More than £4m was spent by the British Government on the defence of Soldier F as he faced prosecution for the murder of two people on Bloody Sunday, it emerged on Wednesday.
Foyle MP Colum Eastwood described the premium placed on defending soldiers as an “insult to victims who are left to fight for truth and justice alone”.
“It is sick,” the SDLP representative said after the amount spent on the defence of the soldier was revealed in response to a parliamentary question from the MP.
In a written answer, Al Carns, the veterans minister and under-secretary for defence, said the “legal fees associated with these proceedings (including associated judicial reviews) amount to £4.3 million, which may rise marginally once final bills are received”.
A floral tribute left at the Bloody Sunday monument in the Derry Bogside on the day that Soldier F was found not guilty of murder. PICTURE: MARGARET MCLAUGHLIN 23-10-2025 (MARGARET MCLAUGHLIN COPYRIGHT / )
“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,” the answer stated.
“Legal representation has been provided by the same experienced legal team since the Saville Inquiry, supplemented by leading solicitors and barristers, including King’s Counsel, based in Northern Ireland.”
Soldier F last week was acquitted of the murder of William McKinney (22) and 26-year-old James Wray in Derry in January 1972. He previously admitted, during the Saville Inquiry, shooting dead four people on Bloody Sunday.
Colum Eastwood speaking to the media outside Westminster on Wednesday (Lucy North/PA)
In his answer, Mr Carns said the Ministry of Defence “is committed to supporting veterans and their families. As part of this, Soldier F has received legal and welfare support throughout his legal proceedings at public expense”.
“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.”
In a statement, Mr Eastwood said the soldier came to Derry as “part of a regiment that shot and killed innocent civil rights protestors as they ran for their lives”.
Veterans minister Alistair Carns
“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,” Mr Eastwood.
“Able and enabled to go about his life while his actions subjected good, innocent people in our city to decades of heartache and hurt.”
The Foyle MP said the millions were spent despite the conclusions of Lord Saville in his inquiry report.
“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,” he added.