Day 304: A former British soldier who was on duty in Derry on Bloody Sunday 31 years ago said yesterday that after the killings of 13 civilians by paratroopers, his regiment was "left to deal with the aftermath".
The now-retired soldier, who at the time of the Bogside killings was a lance corporal in the Royal Green Jackets, also told the Saville inquiry he was "99.9 per cent sure" the first shootings on the day were carried out by members of the Parachute Regiment.
The witness, known to the tribunal as Inquiry 666, said he was on duty at a barrier in William Street on the edge of the Bogside on Bloody Sunday. He said he was surprised when the paratroopers arrived because they had a reputation "for being gung-ho".
He told the inquiry that minutes after the paratroopers went into the Bogside, he heard the sound of army weapons being fired.
"I have always thought that the paras opened up first. I had not heard any rifle or any other weapon fired before the paras climbed over barrier 14 and entered the Bogside," he told the inquiry.
"At the time I heard the shots, I thought 'go on boys, do the business and kick the shit out of them' but I now regret thinking that given what subsequently happened," he added.
Meanwhile, a witness who was a member of the Coldstream Guards on Bloody Sunday told the inquiry that he witnessed paratroopers assaulting civilian prisoners who had been arrested after the Bogside killings. The former soldier, known as Inquiry 1224, said he saw a group of about 20 prisoners being manhandled.
The witness, who was on duty at the Fort George army camp, said a group of about 16 paratroopers made the prisoners run a gauntlet into a building.
"The paras were shouting 'move, move, move'. If anyone stopped then they were hit to make the prisoner go in. Some of the prisoners were hit with batons," he said.
"One civilian looked as though his arm was broken at the elbow. He could not raise his arm when ordered to do so by the soldier and I remember the para hit his arm with his baton. Most of the time the batons were aimed at people's legs but they were also aimed at their arms and heads", he added.
The inquiry continues.