People attend a memorial service to mark the 50th anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday' in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, January 30, 2022. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/File Photo
BELFAST (Reuters) - The sole British soldier charged with murder over the 1972 'Bloody Sunday' killings of 13 unarmed Catholic civil rights marchers in Northern Ireland will face trial in September, a court heard on Friday.
Bloody Sunday became one of the defining moments of the Troubles, three decades of sectarian violence involving nationalists seeking a united Ireland, unionists wanting to remain part of the United Kingdom, and British forces.
The Parachute Regiment soldier, who cannot be identified and is known as Soldier F, is accused of murdering William McKinney and James Wray, when members of the British army regiment shot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Londonderry on January 30, 1972.
The British government apologised in 2010 for the "unjustified and unjustifiable" killings of the peaceful protesters.
Soldier F has already pleaded not guilty to a total of seven charges he faces, including five of attempted murder, in connection with the incidents over 53 years ago.
Judge Justice Fowler told a court in Londonderry that the trial would start on Sep. 15. Soldier F was not required to be in court for the proceedings.
"We welcome that a trial date has now been set. Let's get on with it," William McKinney's brother Mickey McKinney told Reuters. "For us it's important at least one soldier is into court".
The case will be mentioned again in court on April 11.
(Reporting by Amanda Ferguson, Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)
