The Way the Trial of an Army Veteran Over the 1972 Londonderry Incident Concluded in Acquittal
Sunday 30 January 1972 stands as arguably the deadliest – and momentous – occasions during three decades of unrest in the region.
Within the community where it happened – the memories of that fateful day are painted on the buildings and etched in public consciousness.
A public gathering was conducted on a wintry, sunny day in Derry.
The protest was a protest against the policy of internment – holding suspects without trial – which had been established following an extended period of violence.
Troops from the Parachute Regiment killed 13 people in the district – which was, and continues to be, a predominantly Irish nationalist area.
One image became notably prominent.
Photographs showed a clergyman, Father Daly, displaying a bloodied fabric while attempting to defend a group moving a youth, Jackie Duddy, who had been killed.
Journalists captured much footage on the day.
The archive contains Fr Daly explaining to a journalist that military personnel "appeared to fire in all directions" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no justification for the gunfire.
That version of what happened wasn't accepted by the first inquiry.
The first investigation determined the Army had been fired upon initially.
During the negotiation period, the administration commissioned a fresh examination, in response to advocacy by family members, who said the initial inquiry had been a cover-up.
That year, the conclusion by the inquiry said that overall, the military personnel had fired first and that none of the individuals had posed any threat.
The then head of state, the Prime Minister, apologised in the House of Commons – declaring deaths were "without justification and unjustifiable."
Authorities started to investigate the matter.
A military veteran, referred to as the accused, was charged for killing.
He was charged regarding the killings of one victim, 22, and twenty-six-year-old the second individual.
Soldier F was additionally charged of seeking to harm several people, additional persons, more people, an additional individual, and an unknown person.
Remains a judicial decision maintaining the defendant's privacy, which his legal team have maintained is necessary because he is at risk of attack.
He told the investigation that he had only fired at individuals who were armed.
The statement was dismissed in the official findings.
Information from the examination was unable to be used immediately as testimony in the legal proceedings.
In court, the accused was screened from view behind a protective barrier.
He made statements for the first time in the hearing at a hearing in December 2024, to answer "not guilty" when the charges were put to him.
Relatives of the victims on Bloody Sunday travelled from Derry to Belfast Crown Court each day of the trial.
One relative, whose brother Michael was killed, said they always knew that hearing the trial would be painful.
"I can see the events in my memory," John said, as we examined the key areas mentioned in the trial – from Rossville Street, where his brother was shot dead, to the adjacent the courtyard, where James Wray and William McKinney were killed.
"It returns me to my location that day.
"I participated in moving my brother and put him in the medical transport.
"I experienced again each detail during the evidence.
"Notwithstanding having to go through the process – it's still valuable for me."