'Soldier H' tells inquest he felt 'relief and regret' following the shooting dead of two Derry men

The commanding officer of the Special Military Unit involved in the shooting dead of two Derry men said after the operation he felt 'relief and regret'.

The witness identified as Soldier H was giving evidence to the inquest into the deaths of William Fleming (19) from the Waterside and Daniel Doherty (23) from Creggan who were shot dead in the grounds of Gransha Hospital on December 6 1984.

Soldier H said after the shooting he felt relief that none of his men had been injured but regret that two people had died even though they were 'involved in terrorist activity.'

The former soldier, who said he had served in the North for more than 12 years, said he was heartened to think that 'PIRA terrorist capability had been degraded' by the operation in the grounds of Gransha Hospital.

The inquest was told that soldiers in the SMU 'were empowered to make their own decisions depending on the circumstances.'

Soldier H said that just prior to December 6 his unit received a briefing from the acting regional head of Special Branch that they had intelligence that an off duty member of the security forces was to be attacked in the grounds of Gransha Hospital by the IRA.

He said he was aware this individual was travelling by bus but said he was unaware of the identity of the target.

The witness said his unit came up with a plan to protect the life of the individual which involved the SMU and the RUC's Divisional Mobile Support Unit which was positioned at 'a tactical distance' from the operation as their cars were 'distinctive and identified by the PIRA.'

The inquest heard that SMU units were placed in the grounds of Gransha Hospital and around the Caw Roundabout.

Soldier H said they were told a motorbike was to be used and his men spotted one but then lost it.

The hearing was told that the motorbike did a double circuit of the roundabout which was believed to have been an anti surveillance technique.

He said some soldiers positioned themselves at the bus stop where passengers would alight.

Describing the situation as 'fluid' the former soldier said he received a communication from Soldier A that he had seen the motorbike which had 'come from a completely unexpected direction'.

The next thing the witness said was he received a communication from Soldier A saying 'contact' a codeword only used when firearms had been used.

Soldier H said that he was subsequently told that there were 'two terrorists down one by the road and one by the motorbike'.

Following this he said the DMSU was tasked to come to the area and he set about withdrawing his men from the scene.