THE trial of a former member of the British army’s Parachute Regiment accused of the murder of two men on January 39, 1972 in Derry will begin in September.
Soldier F, who cannot be identified, is accused of murdering James Wray and William McKinney when members of the Parachute Regiment shot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Derry on 30 January 1972.
He is also charged with five attempted murders during the incident in Derry's Bogside area.
Soldier F has pleaded not guilty to all seven counts.
Thirteen men were killed outright on the day, usually referred to as Bloody Sunday, and the death of another man some months later was attributed to gunshot injuries from the incident.
Judge Mr Justice Fowler, presiding at Belfast Crown Court, fixed the date for the trial during a brief mention hearing on Friday, March 28.
Soldier F was not in court for the hearing, instead appearing remotely by video link.
The court also heard that a separate judge has been appointed to review issues related to the disclosure of evidence before the trial. These were described by prosecution counsel Samuel Magee KC as being complex.
The trial will take place more than six years after the original 2019 decision to prosecute Solider F. The case dropped two years later but that move was overturned in 2022 and in December 2023, a judge ruled that soldier F should stand trial.
Soldier F's defence team unsuccessfully appealed that decision last June and in December, a judge ruled that there was sufficient evidence for the former paratrooper to stand trial.
