Ex-soldier to be prosecuted over the killing of a man in Belfast 52 years ago
AN ex-soldier will be prosecuted over a Belfast killing 52 years ago, in a decision taken just weeks before an amnesty.
The now elderly veteran, known as Soldier F, is accused of murdering Patrick McVeigh, 44, who was shot at a road junction in May 1972 at the height of the Troubles.
He will also face prosecution for the attempted murder of four others wounded in the incident.
He and three other soldiers will also face trial for the attempted murder of two people during a shooting the same month.
All were in a temporary Army unit, the Military Reaction Force, which ran in Belfast in 1972.
The decision by Northern Ireland prosecutors means the cases come before the controversial Legacy Act, which blocks any further prosecutions linked to the Troubles, takes effect on May 1.
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NI’s Public Prosecution Service assistant director Martin Hardy said: “We in the PPS recognise that this is a painful day for all victims and families involved and that they have waited a long time to reach this stage of the process.
“Where a decision to prosecute has been taken, I would emphasise that criminal proceedings will commence in due course.”