31/10/2025
'Soldier F' Defence Spend Insult To Victims – Eastwood
The British Government has spent £4.3 million defending the former soldier known as ‘Soldier F’ during legal proceedings since 2019, according to figures revealed by Foyle MP Colum Eastwood.
The substantial spending covers legal costs associated with the murder and attempted murder charges initially brought against him in March 2019, as well as the judicial review of the subsequent Public Prosecution Service (PPS) decision not to proceed with the prosecution.
The figure of £4.3m does not account for additional undisclosed expenses related to ‘pastoral care, travel and accommodation’ which were not included in the response to parliamentary questions.
Colum Eastwood MP said:
"Soldier F came to Derry as part of a regiment that shot and killed innocent civil rights protestors as they ran for their lives. He is a self-confessed killer and yet for more than 50 years, he has been a protected species in the eyes of the British Government. Able and enabled to go about his life while his actions subjected good, innocent people in our city to decades of heartache and hurt.
"In spite of the clear conclusions of Lord Saville, which I would again encourage everyone to read in detail, the British Government has spent £4.3m of our money to defend Soldier F over the last six years. The premium that is placed on defending soldiers, even when the state knows what they did, is an insult to victims who are left to fight for truth and justice alone. It is sick.
"And it is worth remembering, if these soldiers had told the truth they would have been able to rely on the Attorney General’s assurance in respect of self incrimination. None of this money, our money, would have been spent to defend their actions and their perjury. It is a double injustice."
"The people of Derry will never leave the Bloody Sunday families and the wounded to fight alone. We are still with them and will never abandon them."
The substantial spending covers legal costs associated with the murder and attempted murder charges initially brought against him in March 2019, as well as the judicial review of the subsequent Public Prosecution Service (PPS) decision not to proceed with the prosecution.
The figure of £4.3m does not account for additional undisclosed expenses related to ‘pastoral care, travel and accommodation’ which were not included in the response to parliamentary questions.
Colum Eastwood MP said:
"In spite of the clear conclusions of Lord Saville, which I would again encourage everyone to read in detail, the British Government has spent £4.3m of our money to defend Soldier F over the last six years. The premium that is placed on defending soldiers, even when the state knows what they did, is an insult to victims who are left to fight for truth and justice alone. It is sick.
"And it is worth remembering, if these soldiers had told the truth they would have been able to rely on the Attorney General’s assurance in respect of self incrimination. None of this money, our money, would have been spent to defend their actions and their perjury. It is a double injustice."
"The people of Derry will never leave the Bloody Sunday families and the wounded to fight alone. We are still with them and will never abandon them."
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