Bloody Sunday shootings ‘unjustified and gratuitous’, soldier F murder trial told

Soldier F’s long-awaited trial began at Belfast Crown Court on Monday

Campaigners in Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA)

The shooting of civilians on Bloody Sunday by a former paratrooper and his platoon mates were “unjustified”, “unnecessary” and “gratuitous”, the former soldier's murder trial has heard.

Soldier F, who cannot be identified, is accused of murdering James Wray and William McKinney on January 30 1972 – the day when members of the Parachute Regiment shot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Derry.