BLOODY SUNDAY INQUIRY: A former British soldier who drove a car containing the body of one of the 13 Bloody Sunday victims, said yesterday he was "amazed" when he was later told that the youth was carrying four nail bombs.
Known as Soldier 150, he told the Saville inquiry into the killings by paratroopers of 13 civilians in the Bogside area of Derry on January 30th, 1972, that Gerry Donaghy (17) did not have the four explosive devices.
The circumstances surrounding the discovery of the four nail bombs on the teenager's body is one of the most controversial issues of the inquiry.
A number of civilian witnesses have already testified that there were no nail bombs on Mr Donaghy's body immediately after he was shot in the Bogside and that there were no devices on the body when he was being driven to hospital. However, several military and police witnesses claimed to have seen the bombs on the body after it was driven to an army medical camp. The inquiry was also told that within hours of the discovery of the devices, rumours circulated within the police force that the bombs had been planted.
Yesterday's witness, who was a corporal in the Royal Anglian Regiment on Bloody Sunday, told the inquiry that two cars were driven at speed towards the checkpoint where he was based. He said when the second car started to roll back down the street, he got inside the vehicle to stop it.
"There was a fairly young lad lying on the back seat with his head closest to me. He was sprawled out on the back seat. The thing that very clearly sticks out in my mind was that the man had a glazed expression in his eyes. I formed the impression he was dead."
Soldier 150 said after he had driven the car containing Mr Donaghy's body to a nearby regimental aid post, he went into the back seat of the vehicle. "I decided to take his pulse to see whether he was alive or dead. I was just trying to do the right thing."
The witness said some time after Bloody Sunday he was told that four nail bombs were found in the pockets of Mr Donaghy's clothes. "There was certainly nothing that was visible to me. I would not have driven the car if the man had had the nail bombs in his pockets in case the bomb was rigged or something.
" I am sure if there had been a nail bomb, or bombs, in the man's pockets I would have seen them.There was nothing in there, either in the pockets of his jeans or in the pockets of his denim jacket."
Meanwhile, the inquiry confirmed yesterday that the Chief of the General Staff, Gen Sir Michael Jackson, has been recalled to give further evidence next Wednesday.
Gen Jackson will be questioned about a so-called "shot list" document which refers to 15 separate shooting engagements with civilian gunmen on Bloody Sunday.
The document has been described as "glaringly inadequate" by counsel to the inquiry, Mr Christopher Clarke QC.
The inquiry continues.