A former British army paratrooper who claimed that he fired 19 aimed single shots at the silhouette of an IRA sniper behind a frosted glass window in the Bogside area of Derry on Bloody Sunday, told the inquiry yesterday that he could not explain why none of his shots, fired from a range of 50 yards, shattered the window.
The witness rejected an allegation that his evidence was part of a "veil of silence" by paratroopers who shot dead 13 unarmed civilians and wounded 13 others on January 30th, 1972.
Known as Soldier H, the witness, who was aged 20 on Bloody Sunday, agreed with counsel to the Inquiry, Mr Christopher Clarke QC, that he was "rather unlucky" to have missed his target.
Soldier H admitted firing 22 of the 108 shots fired by paratroopers on the day. He told the 377th day of the inquiry into the killings that his first three shots, fired in the Bogside's Glenfada Park, hit two nail bombers.
The witness, who was accused of firing 19 "wholly unaccountable" shots by the original Widgery Inquiry into Bloody Sunday, said he did not see any of his colleagues firing, nor did he see any civilians being shot by them.
Soldier H said that on the day he and his colleagues had come "under heavy fire" from the moment they moved into the Bogside. He said when he advanced into Glenfada Park he saw two nail bombers and fired at them.
"The next thing I remember is seeing what looked like the muzzle of a rifle poking out of a window with frosted glass."
The witness agreed with Mr Clarke that an SLR bullet travelled with enormous force and immense speed. "Are you seriously inviting the tribunal to accept as a realistic possibility that 19 bullets fired at that window would not cause it to shatter and that 19 bullets were fired and the window never shattered," asked Mr Clarke.
The witness replied "Yes, sir". Soldier H resumes his evidence today.
The inquiry has served subpoenas on two journalists for more information surrounding Martin McGuinness's role in the IRA on Bloody Sunday.
Sunday Times Northern Editor, Mr Liam Clarke, and his wife, Ms Kathryn Johnston, have been ordered to hand over transcripts and written notes of interviews with eyewitnesses who gave accounts of Mr McGuinness published in their book, Martin McGuinness: From Guns to Government.
Mr McGuinness, who denies Mr Ward's claims, is due to give evidence to the inquiry confirming he was second in command of the IRA in the city during Bloody Sunday and that the organisation ordered its members not to fire on troops. - PA