Inquest into death of young man involving British soldiers in 1986 set to resume next year

Rebecca Black, PA

A fresh inquest into the death of a man in an incident involving British soldiers in Co Derry in 1986 is set to resume next February.

Francis Bradley (20) was killed in disputed circumstances near Toomebridge in 1986.

At the time of the killing, the IRA said Mr Bradley was not a member. However, his name was later added to the organisation’s “roll of honour”.

In 2010, Northern Ireland's then-attorney general John Larkin KC ordered a fresh inquest into the killing.

The inquest opened in April and heard from a number of witnesses.

It is being heard in modular format, with the opening tranche of evidence that was not considered controversial in the initial hearings before being adjourned.

Work remains ongoing around military witnesses and material from Britain's Ministry of Defence.

A review hearing in Belfast on Tuesday was told it was envisaged it would proceed in February 2024.

Ahead of that, a scoping hearing is to take place in October.