Soldiers 'tried to cover up killings'
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Your support makes all the difference.SOLDIERS who shot dead two joy-riders invented a false story to justify their actions, a court in Belfast was told yesterday.
It was alleged that members of the Parachute Regiment had deliberately struck a colleague on the leg to make it look as though he had been hit by a car. They had then given a false version of events to the police.
Six Parachute Regiment soldiers are before the court. Private Lee Clegg, 23, denies the murder of Karen Reilly, 18, who was a passenger in a stolen car which was fired on in September 1990. Pte Clegg and two others, Lance-Corporal Stephen Boulstead, 29, and Pte Barry Aindow, 24, deny the attempted murder of Martin Peake, 17, the driver of the car.
The three, together with three other soldiers, are also charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice and obstructing police investigations by making untrue statements.
The court was told that the deaths arose from a security force operation to catch joy-riders. A patrol sent out consisted of 16 soldiers, a number of military vehicles, and a police officer.
Counsel for the prosecution said the patrol had initially used two army vehicles to make a roadblock but this was abandoned when one suspected joy-rider drove through it. It was said that the patrol then saw a second car and some of the soldiers opened fire, hitting the two teenagers.
The prosecution claims that witnesses later saw Pte Aindow being struck with a rifle by another soldier. The soldiers said the stolen car had hit him.
The trial continues today.
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