A former British paratrooper who was the only soldier ever charged in the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre in Northern Ireland has been acquitted of murder charges.

Judge Patrick Lynch ruled at Belfast Crown Court on Thursday that prosecutors failed to prove that the veteran identified only as "Soldier F" had opened fire on unarmed civilians who were running to safety.

Soldier F had pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder for the deaths of James Wray, 22, and William McKinney, 27, and five counts of attempted murder for the shootings of Joseph Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon, Patrick O'Donnell, and for opening fire at unarmed civilians.

The judge in the nonjury trial said that the evidence presented against the veteran fell well short of what was required for conviction.

The

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