The two paratroopers charged with murder of IRA commander have been haunted by it for half a century
49 years later, the two soldiers from 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment walked out of court as free and innocent men
4 May 2021 • 2:24pm
Joe McCann during a gun battle for Inglis Bakery in Eliza Street in The Markets area of Belfast in 1972
Credit: Ciaran Donnelly
It was an incident - bloody and brutal - that would last for seconds but haunt them for almost half a century.
Two soldiers - young back then but elderly now - had been involved in the shooting of ‘Big’ Joe McCann, an IRA commander, who at the time of his death was one of the most dangerous terrorists in the province.
Updated / Tuesday, 4 May 2021
15:58
Judge excluded statements given by the ex-soldiers about the shooting of Joe McCann in 1972
Two former British paratroopers accused of the murder of an Official IRA leader have been formally acquitted after prosecutors offered no further evidence at their trial.
The trial at Belfast Crown Court collapsed after the Public Prosecution Service confirmed it would not appeal against a decision by Mr Justice O Hara to exclude statements given by the ex-soldiers about the shooting of Joe McCann in 1972.
It was the first trial in several years that involved charges against former military personnel who served during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Two former paratroopers acquitted of murder of Joe McCann after collapse of trial
McCann was shot dead by paratroopers as he attempted to evade arrest by a plain clothed police officer in 1972. By Press Association Tuesday 4 May 2021, 2:15 PM 6 hours ago 10,879 Views 0 Comments
TWO FORMER PARATROOPERS accused of the murder of an Official IRA member have been formally acquitted after prosecutors offered no further evidence at their trial.
The former soldiers’ trial at Belfast Crown Court collapsed after the Public Prosecution Service confirmed it would not appeal against a decision by Mr Justice O’Hara to exclude statements given by the ex-soldiers about the shooting of Joe McCann in 1972.
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Joe McCann: Murder trial of two former soldiers accused of killing IRA commander in 1972 collapses
The trial of two former British soldiers for the shooting dead of an IRA commander in 1972 has collapsed at the Crown Court in Belfast.
Joe McCann, 24, was unarmed when soldiers opened fire on him in Joy Street, as he ran from them in a bid to evade capture.
The case against the two veterans, identified only as Soldiers A and C, fell apart when evidence deemed central to the prosecution was ruled inadmissible.
MP Johnny Mercer welcomes acquittal of veterans accused of IRA murder
Former minister said that the prosecution of two ex-paratroopers in Northern Ireland should never have happened
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Plymouth MP and former veterans minister Johnny Mercer has welcomed the acquittal of two ex-soldiers charged with the murder of a member of the Official IRA.