Two former Paras to stand trial charged with the murder of an IRA commander 46 years ago
Joe McCann was shot dead by Paras at a roadblock as he tried to flee the RUC in 1972
TWO former Paras are to stand trial charged with the murder of an IRA commander 46 years ago.
The pair, in their 60s, are accused of shooting Joe McCann in 1972.
This week a Belfast judge ruled that Soldier A and Soldier C have a case to answer.
They are expected to enter pleas at crown court next month.
The decision sparked renewed calls for a three-year time limit on historic prosecutions.
Military lawyer Hilary Meredith accused Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service of “facilitating a miscarriage of justice”.
She said: “Parliament needs to look very carefully at these historic allegations.” McCann, 24, was shot dead by Paras at a roadblock as he tried to flee the RUC.
A member of the Official IRA, he was reportedly a friend of Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams.
A cop probe resulted in no prosecutions at the time.
But in 2013 the now-defunct Historical Enquiries Team ruled the killing was not justified.
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The PPS decided to bring charges against the two Paras.
A third unit member is dead.
Earlier this year legal aid chiefs finally agreed to fund a civil suit against IRA man John Downey, the prime suspect in the 1982 Hyde Park bombing.
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