A FORMER soldier from York who served in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s has criticised the Saville report into the events of Bloody Sunday.

Terry Cullen, 65, of Bishopthorpe, who served in the Royal Corps of Transport, said he believed the recent report by Lord Saville represented “political correctness and expediency”, and labelled soldiers who served in Ireland as trigger happy murderers.

He said Northern Ireland had deteriorated in the early 1970s into vicious sectarian violence which the police could no longer control.

Mr Cullen said: “Thus we soldiers were sent in to prevent civil war and protect people from both sides of the conflict, caught up in the crossfire.”

He believed shots were fired from the crowd at troops during a civil rights march and shots were returned in self defence.

He said relatives of those killed were crying for justice, but he asked: “What about justice for the truly innocent victims of IRA atrocities, such as 12-year-old Timothy Parry, blown up in Warrington, or the young people enjoying a disco in Birmingham, or those on board a Manchester coach which was blown apart? Will their relatives know justice?”

He was also critical of the former First Minister in Stormont, Ian Paisley, and his role in the troubles and asked whether he would apologise. Mr Cullen said the current situation was more stable in Northern Ireland today, with most of the violence having abated and a semblance of normality prevailing.

“We soldiers achieved at great risk to ourselves and, had we failed in our duty, a civil war would have ensued with incalculable deaths and casualties.

“We soldiers prevented that nightmare scenario being realised and deserved due respect and recognition, not least from our own Prime Minister.”

He feared there were implications from Saville for soldiers serving today in Iraq or Afghanistan, who were hailed now but might be criticised in the same way in 30 or 40 years’ time.