A GROUP of veterans have held a peaceful protest over soldier suicides.

Veterans who served in the Northern Ireland Conflict rallied outside Army Careers on Queen Street to call for more support from the Government.

Campaigners hoped the demonstration would reach Prince Harry, who served in Afghanistan.

Former Royal Military Police soldier Suzanne Fernando said more help is needed to prevent more lives being lost to suicide.

She said: "Many of us regardless of the tour, N.I included, have come back and been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. Many not even diagnosed and more are committing suicide and that's not right.

"The government need to do something about this.

"Suicide has touched us all. We've all know someone who has been diagnosed with PTSD, including myself. I don't think you get over it you just learn to live with it.

"I'm hoping that Prince Harry will catch wind of this and do something as he's a veteran himself. I'm sure he is as disgusted with the treatment as we are."

Suzanne and her fellow veterans have also slammed the government for what they are calling “a witch hunt” against Northern Ireland veterans.

She added: "This vendetta they've got against our British soldiers needs to end. We need to see our soldiers being appreciated and thanked for their service.

"There is retired soldiers living in fear that their door will be kicked in for something they done forty-years ago."

Paul Coffey, 65, who served in Northern Ireland for nearly three years, added: "The soldiers done a great job and these lads kept their cool and protected people's lives.

"They find that by doing the job they were ordered to do, they were persecuted.

"I believe there should be a statute of limitations. I don't believe soldiers should be excused if they have committed a crime but people retiring now have it hanging over their head that they could be linked to something back in Ireland.

"Maybe to put limitations at 10 years so people can retire peacefully.

"It should be illegal to target British soldiers."

The protest kicked off at 11am and garnered strong support from the public.

As previously reported by the Evening Times, tributes were paid to Scots sniper Jamie 'Delta' Davies who passed away suddenly earlier this year.

Jamie had suffered from PTSD before his death.