A former paratrooper has denied claims his testimony that colleagues fired at civilians on Bloody Sunday was motivated by financial gain.
The soldier, known only as Soldier 027 was accused by Edwin Glasgow QC, representing many of the Bloody Sunday soldiers, of threatening to "walk away" from the inquiry if his financial demands were not met.
The soldier has been on a witness-protection scheme for the past two years and receives a living allowance, as well as money for a house and a car. He is giving evidence behind a screen and the deal ends after his evidence to the inquiry is completed.
The former radio operative with the First Battalion of the Parachute Regiment told the inquiry his colleagues killed 13 unarmed civil rights marchers without justification in Derry on January 30, 1972.
Soldier 027 denied his evidence is motivated by money, saying his main priority has been his family's security.
"I was an anxious and frightened individual," he told the inquiry. "For a considerable time I had been living in a situation of stress and anxiety. With no end in sight I was forced into a position where I had to put my family's situation first," he said.
Soldier 027 has a book deal to write about his life, including his experiences on Bloody Sunday, the inquiry was told.
He received a £4,500 sterling advance to write a 300,000-word manuscript from a British publishing house for a book called The Testimony of 'Soldier A', A Life in 1 Para Battalion and Other Places.
Soldier 027 said it required "quite an effort" to write it. The whole of the book is his personal research. Only parts of the draft, those relating to Bloody Sunday, are in front of the inquiry.
The contract is still live but Soldier 027 told the inquiry: "I have no intention of taking the contract further. Once I became involved with the inquiry and gave a statement this project became still-born."
Mr Gerard Elias QC, representing many of the soldiers, suggested 027's account of Bloody Sunday, dating back to 1975, had included "colourful little incidents" to improve his book. Soldier 027 flatly denied that his account was "nonsense".
PA