How the Trial of a Former Soldier Over Bloody Sunday Ended in Acquittal
January 30th, 1972 is remembered as arguably the deadliest – and momentous – dates during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland.
In the streets where events unfolded – the legacy of the tragic events are visible on the buildings and seared in public consciousness.
A protest demonstration was held on a chilly yet clear day in Derry.
The march was challenging the policy of detention without trial – detaining individuals without trial – which had been implemented following multiple years of unrest.
Troops from the elite army unit shot dead multiple civilians in the district – which was, and remains, a predominantly Irish nationalist community.
A specific visual became notably memorable.
Images showed a Catholic priest, Father Daly, waving a blood-stained fabric while attempting to shield a crowd transporting a teenager, the injured teenager, who had been killed.
News camera operators recorded considerable film on the day.
Historical records features the priest telling a media representative that soldiers "just seemed to fire in all directions" and he was "completely sure" that there was no justification for the discharge of weapons.
The narrative of the incident wasn't accepted by the original examination.
The Widgery Tribunal determined the soldiers had been fired upon initially.
In the negotiation period, the administration established another inquiry, after campaigning by family members, who said Widgery had been a cover-up.
That year, the conclusion by the inquiry said that on balance, the soldiers had discharged weapons initially and that zero among the individuals had been armed.
At that time Prime Minister, David Cameron, apologised in the government chamber – declaring deaths were "improper and unacceptable."
Authorities began to examine the events.
One former paratrooper, referred to as Soldier F, was prosecuted for homicide.
Accusations were made concerning the fatalities of one victim, twenty-two, and 26-year-old William McKinney.
Soldier F was also accused of attempting to murder multiple individuals, Joseph Friel, more people, Michael Quinn, and an unidentified individual.
There is a court ruling preserving the veteran's privacy, which his attorneys have claimed is required because he is at risk of attack.
He told the examination that he had exclusively discharged his weapon at individuals who were possessing firearms.
The statement was dismissed in the final report.
Material from the examination would not be used immediately as evidence in the legal proceedings.
In the dock, the accused was screened from view using a blue curtain.
He made statements for the opening instance in the proceedings at a hearing in late 2024, to answer "innocent" when the allegations were read.
Relatives of the victims on Bloody Sunday made the trip from the city to the judicial building daily of the proceedings.
John Kelly, whose brother Michael was killed, said they understood that listening to the case would be difficult.
"I visualize everything in my mind's eye," the relative said, as we visited the primary sites referenced in the case – from the street, where his brother was killed, to the adjacent the area, where James Wray and William McKinney were killed.
"It returns me to where I was that day.
"I helped to carry Michael and lay him in the medical transport.
"I went through each detail during the evidence.
"Notwithstanding enduring the process – it's still meaningful for me."
