Two former soldiers have walked free after their trial for the murder of an IRA man in 1972 collapsed.
Soldier A and Soldier C, both in their 70s, had denied murdering Joe McCann, 24, who was shot in controversial circumstances in the Markets area of Belfast in April 1972.
Johnny Mercer, a former British Army officer who quit as defence minister last month over the treatment of veterans who served in Northern Ireland welcomed the outcome.
— Johnny Mercer (@JohnnyMercerUK) May 4, 2021
McCann was a member of the Official IRA - from which the Provisional IRA broke away - and had been trying avoid being arrested when he was shot and killed.
The soldiers admitted firing shots but claimed it was in self-defence.
— Belfast Telegraph (@BelTel) May 4, 2021
They were interviewed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Historical Enquiries Team (HET) in 2010 and eventually prosecuted.
But last week a judge ruled the HET evidence was inadmissible and on Tuesday, 4 May, the Public Prosecution Service said it would not be appealing against his ruling.
