Guilty?

But that's what happens in war. Soldiers are human and not all will act as they should when given a gun and confronted with people they're told are the enemy. We see this in every war and we're seeing it happening in Ukraine and so we saw it in both world wars. Most of the time they get away with it but the Good Friday agreement has called for the misdeeds of a rogue few on our side to be accounted for. In this case if was perhaps stupidity rather than deliberate misdeed but hand an 18 yearcold a machine gun and occasionally accidents may happen. Whether its right that the many misdeeds of the IRA are being pardoned for the greater good is a much more difficult debate to hold.

I read the press report on this and it sounds like it was serious negligence on the soldier's part to not be aware whether the safety catch was on or off. Now whether he should have been charged after all these years and why he was not charged at the time are matters that have not really been properly covered or explained.

I feel sorry for soldiers who are put in this position because everything looks different with hindsight. From what I read, it was a ricochet which must make it nearly impossible to prove intent to injure or kill but there was plenty of stupidity at play. We also have no idea what was said at the security point and what provocation that may have caused.

Why anyone allowed an agreement to be signed which left British Soldiers open to prosecution when those on the opposite side were basically untouchable is beyond me.