����ý

A missing video could prove "fundamental" in an inquest into the death of a man shot by the Army in disputed circumstances in County Londonderry almost 40 years ago, a coroner has said.

The existence of the tape emerged on Thursday during a review hearing into the death of Francis Bradley, 20, who was shot by soldiers near Toomebridge on 18 February 1986.

A fresh inquest into his death was ordered in 2010 by then Attorney General John Larkin KC and has been sitting over the last year.

The hearing on Thursday morning was told that a former soldier has claimed there was a video that may show the moment when Mr Bradley died.

The inquest is due to resume at Coleraine court on Monday morning - just weeks before the cut-off date for legacy proceedings imposed by the government's Legacy Act.

On Thursday, it was revealed that a former soldier, referred to as U, indicated in a new statement that there was a video that captured some of the incident.

It said that he took the video "back to the surveillance sub unit" but did not know what happened to it after that.

The hearing was told: "He states that the helicopter that was used in the air in the night on question had an image intensifier that had a video recording facility and that, immediately after the incident, he went to the location where the helicopter had landed, and he took the video.

'Locate the video'

"He recalls watching the video and he sets out what it captured and certainly the first clip he said captured two or three soldiers running forward from the railway line towards the farmhouse, this may be in the engagement in which Francis Bradley died.

"He says he remembers that he took the video back to the surveillance sub unit but he does not know what happened to the video thereafter. This is obviously the first time we're hearing about this video so as a matter of urgency, steps need to be taken, in the first instance to try and locate the video but certainly explain what has happened to it."

The hearing was also told that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had been asked about the video, with hopes of an update being provided at the start of next week.

Coroner Peter Irvine said the video could be "very fundamental to this whole inquest if there is such a video available, somewhat surprised that we haven't been made aware of this at a much earlier stage".

A lawyer for the MoD said: "At this stage, we have no idea in terms of instructions from MoD as to what would happen with those videos.

"We are taking those instructions."

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".

A previous hearing was told that the RUC believed the dead man had been "an important member of the Provisional IRA".

He had previously been arrested on three occasions.

That hearing was also told of an allegation that on one occasion in Gough Barracks in County Armagh, the 20-year-old was told he would not see his 21st birthday.