Paratroops 'disobeyed orders'

Military witnesses are giving evidence in London

The soldier in charge of the Army operation on Bloody Sunday has told the Saville Inquiry it appears the Parachute Regiment disobeyed his orders.

Major General Pat MacLellan agreed with the tribunal chairman it appeared the paratroops went further into the Bogside than he had ordered.

He previously told the tribunal he had left the details of the Army operation to the commander of the parachute battalion, Colonel Derek Wilford.

Major General MacLellan was giving his account of Bloody Sunday to the tribunal which is investigating what happened on 30 January 1972 when paratroops opened fire on civilians at a civil rights march in the Bogside in Derry killing 13 civilians. Another man died later.

Why I have been hedging my answers to an extent on this is because that once the tactical battle had started they had to react to circumstances

Major General MacLellan

The tribunal is currently sitting in London to hear evidence from military witnesses.

Major General MacLellan, who was a brigadier at the time of Bloody Sunday, accepted his orders for a limited arrest operation carried out by soldiers on foot did not happen.

He also agreed it appeared soldiers from the battalion started a running battle in Rossville Street where several civilians were later shot.

'Disobeyed orders'

The inquiry heard the Major General had expressly ordered that paratroopers should not engage in a running battle.

Earlier, he told Lord Saville:"I think, as you say, that they went further than I had expected."

Lord Saville is investigating what happened on Bloody Sunday

The chairman replied: "It is a bit more than that, not further than you had expected - it is that they did something, which on the face of it was contrary to your order. I would like you to consider it... that they in fact disobeyed your order."

The witness replied: "Why I have been hedging my answers to an extent on this is because that once the tactical battle had started they had to react to circumstances."

Lord Saville replied: "I follow that, but what would be suggested is: all right, they had to react - but the reason they had to react was because they disobeyed your orders and went deep into the Bogside.

"They were not going deep into the Bogside because they were being shot at."

Major General MacLellan replied: "No, I accept that."

The Saville Inquiry was set up by Prime Minister Tony Blair to reinvestigate the evidence because the relatives felt the first inquiry was a whitewash.

Lord Saville and the Commonwealth judges who comprise the inquiry, are not expected to report back until 2004.