BRITAIN’S Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley said today that she could not support the introduction of a statute of limitations for killings committed by soldiers during the Troubles.

Ms Brady said she could not support calls that would prevent British soldiers who murdered civilians from being prosecuted because it would also be extended to former paramilitaries.

Speaking before the closure of the British government’s consultation period on legacy matters, she said: “I am aware that some people wanted to see the option of a statute of limitations included in the consultation, while others were strongly opposed to the idea.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to the bravery of the soldiers and police officers who upheld the rule of law and were themselves accountable to it.

“I fully understand the concerns that have been raised, but a statute of limitations would not be possible under international law without extending it to terrorists. That is something I could not support,” she said.

Many British Conservative MPs and their counterparts in the six counties the Democratic Unionist Party oppose the prosecution of military veterans for crimes committed in the occupied north of Ireland.

But Sinn Fein has rejected calls for a statute of limitations, saying that the state forces which acted with impunity during the conflict must be held accountable for their actions.

A march will be held in Derry this Saturday to mark the 50th anniversary of the civil-rights march that many see as the starting point of the Troubles.

Campaigners calling for an end to discrimination against Catholics in housing, schools and jobs were attacked by the Royal Ulster Constabulary after the march was banned by the six counties’ government.