'Witch Hunt': MoD Defends Troubles Facebook Appeal

The Ministry of Defence has defended a Facebook appeal for information on a Troubles killing, after the post was labelled a 'witch hunt against ex-soldiers'.

The Parachute Regiment appeal was met with hundreds of angry comments, after asking former members to get in touch if they knew anything about the killing of Bernard Watt.

The 28-year-old was shot by the Army during disturbances in Ardoyne, Belfast in 1971.

One commenter wrote: "I dont [sic] have any information on this particular witch hunt."

Another wrote:

"Does the MOD really expect people to come forward with information that could ruin their friends life's [sic] or the memory of deceased ones?"

Another, meanwhile, said: "It is a disgrace that the Ministry of Defence of all people is persecuting its own soldiers."

An MoD spokesperson quoted by the BBC, however, said the ministry was simply co-operating with a coroner's process and that it has to make all reasonable attempts to contact people who could have knowledge of a particular incident.

The appeal was posted last week, prior to a preliminary hearing of an inquest into the death on Friday.

Solicitor for the Watt family, Padraig O'Muirigh, said progress on the case has so far been "very disappointing":

"This inquest was directed by the Attorney General in 2012, almost five years ago, and to date there has been very little success in identifying soldiers involved on that particular day.

"This family never had a proper investigation and it's not about a witch hunt. An inquest is a fact-finding mission. It doesn't make decisions on criminal or civil liabilities so to call it a witch hunt is a gross exaggeration."

Retired British Army officer Major General Tim Cross, who served in Northern Ireland, said:

"I would be very surprised and amazed if soldiers start ringing up and saying 'yes, I'm happy to come up and give witnesses' because they'll fear that they'll end up in the dock themselves."

"Part of the problem is for good or ill is that a lot of soldiers are angry about the way that people are going back in history and trying to dig up stuff and put them on trial when these guys as young men put their lives on the line defending democracy and serving on behalf of their nation and they feel that the government are just abandoning them."

The legacy branch of the Police Service of Northern Ireland is currently re-investigating 1,118 deaths which hadn't been reviewed or completed by the now-defunct Historical Enquiries Team (HET).

According to police figures seen by the BBC, however, the investigations have no unduly focused on killings by the Army.

The figures reportedly show that Army investigations account for around 30% of the PSNI's legacy workload.

Forces TV is currently awaiting further comment from the Ministry of Defence on the issue.

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