**Published Oct 16, 2025 • 3-minute read**
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Families of the victims from the 1972 Bloody Sunday incident protested outside Belfast Crown Court in Northern Ireland on Monday, September 15, 2025. (Photo by Peter Morrison, File/AP)
LONDON (AP) — On Thursday, the attorney representing the only British soldier charged in the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre argued that prosecutors had not established sufficient evidence to support the murder and attempted murder charges, urging the judge to acquit the former paratrooper.
Defense lawyer Mark Mulholland described the case against Soldier F as “fundamentally flawed and weak,” citing unreliable testimonies from “fabricators and liars” as a basis for his argument.
The former lance corporal, whose identity has been withheld for his protection, is the only member of the British Army ever charged in connection with the January 20, 1972 shooting that resulted in the deaths of 13 civil rights demonstrators and injuries to 15 others in Londonderry, also known as Derry.
Mulholland concluded his case without calling his client to testify or presenting any evidence, instead focusing on discrediting the prosecution’s case, which relied heavily on inconsistent accounts from fellow soldiers and the fading memories of those who fled the gunfire during the deadliest incident of the three decades of sectarian violence known as “The Troubles.”
Judge Patrick Lynch denied a defense motion to dismiss the charges after the prosecution concluded its case, stating he would announce his verdict on October 23. The former soldier has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder related to an event that has come to symbolize the conflict between predominantly Catholic advocates for a united Ireland and mainly Protestant factions wishing to remain part of the United Kingdom.
Although the conflict largely subsided with the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement, which established a power-sharing framework for Republican and Unionist parties in Northern Ireland, tensions persist. Families of the civilians who lost their lives continue to seek justice, while supporters of military veterans argue that their sacrifices have been minimized and that they have been unfairly targeted in ongoing investigations.