BELFAST Laganside Court will look at its options to encourage two former soldiers to testify as part of the Ballymurphy Massacre inquest after they failed to give evidence for a second time.
On Monday, Counsel for the Coroner, Sean Doran QC, explained that neither M57 nor M171 was in court. Both had failed to appear in May.
The coroner, Mrs Justice Keegan, explained that she does not have the power to compel them to appear. This is because the two men are in the UK, but outside NI.
However, soldier M206 did appear in the witness box and told of being so tired when on duty during August 1971 that he began to hallucinate.
M206 was a member of Support Company Two Para and thought he had witnessed gunfire whilst deployed in flats in Springmartin. M206 said that at one point during those days of duty he was so tired that he fell asleep in an alleyway and hallucinated due to lack of sleep.
The inquest continues.
