McCANN AND OTHERS v. THE UNITED KINGDOM JUDGMENT 24 (ii) the identity, location, chains of command, method of operation and the capabilities of the units with which the soldiers were serving on 6 March 1988; (iii) the nature of their specialist training or equipment; (iv) the nature of any previous operational activities of the soldiers, or of any units with which any of them might at any time have served; (v) in the case of Soldier G (the ammunition technical officer), any defence intelligence information, activities or operations (and the sources of intelligence), including those on the basis of which his assessments were made and details of security forces counter-measures capabilities, including methods of operation, specialist training and equipment. 2. In the case of Security Service witnesses, the objection was to the disclosure of information which would reveal: (a) the identities of members of the Security Service, and details of their deployment, training and equipment; (b) all sources of intelligence information; (c) all details of the activities and operations of the Security Service. 105. As was, however, expressly made clear in the certificates, no objection was taken to the giving of evidence by either military or Security Service witnesses as to: (i) the nature of the information relating to the feared IRA plot, which was transmitted to the Commissioner of Police and others concerned (including general evidence as to the nature of a Provisional IRA active service unit); (ii) the assessments made by Soldier G as to the likelihood of, and the risks associated with, an explosive device and as to the protective measures which might have to be taken; (iii) the events leading up to the shootings on 6 March 1988 and the circumstances surrounding them, including evidence relating to the transfer of control to the military power. 106. The inquest lasted until 30 September and during the nineteen days it sat, evidence was heard from seventy-nine witnesses, including the soldiers, police officers and surveillance personnel involved in the operation. Evidence was also heard from pathologists, forensic scientists and experts in relation to the detonation of explosive devices. 1. Pathologists’ evidence at the inquest 107. Evidence was given by Professor Watson, the pathologist who had conducted the post-mortem on the deceased on 7 March 1988 and also by Professor Pounder called on behalf of the applicants (see paragraph 102 above). 108. Concerning Farrell, it was found that she had been shot three times in the back, from a distance of some three feet according to Professor Pounder. She had five wounds to the head and neck. The facial injuries