A former paratrooper has told the Bloody Sunday inquiry in London that his colleagues fired on the crowd with no justification and that at least one of them did it with exuberance. Christopher Walker, left, reports on the drama of today's proceedings.

"It is sensational in that he is the first member of the Parachute Regiment to give evidence and rather dramatically he is behind a curtain to protect his identity. He is called Soldier 027.

"He is confirming what the republicans said all along. He says that two soldiers killed eight to ten out of the 13 who died. There were 'unspeakable acts' taken by the British Army, he said, as there was no reason for them to shoot.

"The relatives of some of the victims present at the inquiry have effectively had their view put across in public by a soldier. It makes it very dramatic that his evidence just runs exactly counter to what the official view has been over the years.

"Soldier 027 was on the ground on Bloody Sunday. He was a radio operator, 19 years old and a private in the Parachute Regiment. He spoke in great detail about the mood of the team and the briefing that took place the night before. There was a gung-ho feeling among the paratroopers, he said.

"Two soldiers, one known as Lance Corporal F and the other as Soldier G, took it on their own backs to conduct a shooting match against the crowd. One of those two, G, is dead so we will never know his point of view. I gather that the other one will be appearing at the inquiry.

"It is an extremely cohesive account, knowledgeably and soberly presented. You can hear only his voice, but he has a fairly well-spoken accent with plenty of pauses. Some people say that he sounds more like a teacher than a soldier.

"Soldier 027 is in a protection scheme which is usually used for people who are hiding from paramilitaries and terrorists, but he is understood to be under protection from former colleagues.

"I understand from officials that it was on this gentleman's remarks that the whole idea of setting up this second inquiry came into their minds. He is obviously a frightened man. One can only imagine what is going through his mind. Not only is he is going contrary to the defence establishment, but is also opposing the view of individual colleagues. Officials view him as a brave man.

"More than 300 witnesses will be appearing at the inquiry, but only two others will be behind a curtain, probably to protect them from the IRA. There will be plenty of time for the evidence of Soldier 027 to be challenged.

"It is said to be only by chance that he's the first to give evidence, but since March 2000 interest in this inquiry has waned a bit. His testimony will continue for the next two or three days."

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