Bloody Sunday soldier found shot dead

A senior soldier who served in Northern Ireland and gave evidence to the Bloody Sunday inquiry has been found shot dead.

Mike Norman, 62, a former sergeant-major and once the British Army's top sniper in the province, was found dead at the wheel of a hired BMW in Hounslow.

His death - by a shot in the stomach from a 9mm pistol - is being investigated under the direction of a senior Scotland Yard officer because of his former role's "sensitivity".

His body was found in the green BMW last Sunday. Although Mr Norman is thought to have committed suicide, Scotland Yard has now assigned the inquiry to an assistant commissioner.

During the height of the Ulster troubles of the Seventies, military sources say, the sergeant-major - a lethal shot - accounted for about six Provisional IRA men in anti-terrorist operations.

Sources also claim he was cleared during that period, by a secret army board of inquiry, of the murder of a terrorist suspect. He gave evidence to the Bloody Sunday inquiry under conditions of anonymity.

Mr Norman continued in army service after his Ulster tours of duty, playing a key role in rebuilding its Warminster sniper school.

During a colourful career he played polo against Prince Charles at the Guards Polo Club.

His second wife, Fiona McNab, told the Evening Standard: "Because of his background I'm sure the police will be looking at all the possibilities including, I'm afraid, foul play. There's no doubt the IRA would have liked to see him dead, with or without a ceasefire.

"Personally I find it impossible to believe that Mike would have taken his own life in that dreadful way.

"He was a trained marksman and game shot, and I can only believe this was some terrible accident if no one else was involved. I suppose we will now have to wait for the outcome of the investigation and the coroner's inquest."

Ms McNab met Mr Norman at a ball at the army's Sandhurst military academy, where he was a drill sergeant and her father also a servingofficer. She said: "He was accused of murdering a civilian believed to be an IRA operative who he shot at a road block.

"I remember him having to fly back and forth to Ulster, and then he came back after one trip and said he'd been cleared.

"More recently he gave evidence at the Bloody Sunday inquiry.

"I don't know the nature of his evidence, but I do know he was held in very high esteem by senior officers and was acknowledged to be a soldier's soldier. He was made a regimental sergeant-major of the

Coldstream Guards, which is a big job, but he developed diabetes and was given other duties."

Ms McNab said Mr Norman left her and eventually married his third wife Sue three years ago, but that they had still been on good terms.

She said: "He was a fine man who served his country very well.

"He never hated the Irish but he hated terrorism - he had Irish roots and family land in Roscommon, but he could never visit it because of his battles with the IRA. I suppose that's the tragedy of Ireland."

An army source said: "Mike Norman was acknowledged as a top sniper and I believe he accounted for a number of IRA terrorists in the days when they tried to take on the British Army in a shooting war and failed.

"He himself claimed six hits - but this is not the sort of thing the Army wants to talk about, either then or now."