Ex-soldier is being prosecuted over the murder of a man in Belfast 52 years ago
An ex-soldier will be prosecuted over a murder in Belfast 52 years ago, in a decision taken just weeks before the amnesty.
The now elderly veteran, known as Soldier F, is accused of killing Patrick McVeigh, 44, who was shot at an intersection in May 1972 at the height of the disaster. the problems.
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He will also be charged with the attempted murder of four others who were injured in the incident.
Him and three others soldiers will also stand trial for the attempted murder of two people in a shooting the same month.
They were all in a temporary army unit, the Military Reaction Force, that came in Belfast in 1972.
The decision of Northern Ireland Prosecutors mean the cases come before the controversial Legacy Act, which blocks further prosecutions linked to the Troubles, comes into force on May 1.
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Martin Hardy, Deputy Director of the NI Public Prosecution Service, said: “We at the Crown Prosecution Service recognize that this is a painful day for all the victims and families involved and that they have waited a long time to reach this stage of the trial.
“Once a decision to prosecute has been made, I would like to emphasize that criminal proceedings will commence in due course.”