How this Prosecution of a Former Soldier Over Bloody Sunday Concluded in Acquittal
Sunday 30 January 1972 remains one of the most fatal – and momentous – dates during thirty years of violence in Northern Ireland.
Throughout the area of the incident – the images of the tragic events are displayed on the walls and embedded in public consciousness.
A civil rights march was organized on a wintry, sunny period in Derry.
The demonstration was challenging the policy of detention without trial – detaining individuals without legal proceedings – which had been put in place in response to multiple years of violence.
Military personnel from the specialized division fatally wounded 13 people in the district – which was, and still is, a strongly Irish nationalist population.
One image became notably memorable.
Images showed a clergyman, Fr Edward Daly, displaying a blood-stained cloth in his effort to protect a assembly 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 journalist that soldiers "gave the impression they would discharge weapons randomly" and he was "completely sure" that there was no provocation for the shooting.
The narrative of what happened was disputed by the first inquiry.
The initial inquiry determined the military had been attacked first.
During the peace process, the administration established a fresh examination, following pressure by bereaved relatives, who said the initial inquiry had been a cover-up.
That year, the conclusion by the inquiry said that overall, the military personnel had initiated shooting and that zero among the casualties had been armed.
The then head of state, the leader, issued an apology in the Parliament – saying killings were "without justification and unjustifiable."
The police started to look into the incident.
An ex-soldier, identified as Soldier F, was prosecuted for killing.
Accusations were made over the killings of James Wray, in his twenties, and in his mid-twenties William McKinney.
Soldier F was further implicated of seeking to harm several people, Joseph Friel, Joe Mahon, Michael Quinn, and an unidentified individual.
There is a court ruling maintaining the defendant's privacy, which his legal team have maintained is essential because he is at danger.
He stated to the investigation that he had exclusively discharged his weapon at individuals who were carrying weapons.
This assertion was rejected in the final report.
Evidence from the inquiry could not be used immediately as evidence in the legal proceedings.
During the trial, the defendant was screened from view using a blue curtain.
He spoke for the opening instance in the proceedings at a session in late 2024, to respond "not guilty" when the charges were put to him.
Relatives of the deceased on Bloody Sunday journeyed from Derry to the courthouse every day of the trial.
One relative, whose relative was fatally wounded, said they understood that listening to the case would be painful.
"I visualize everything in my recollection," the relative said, as we walked around the key areas referenced in the trial – from the street, where Michael was killed, to the adjoining Glenfada Park, where one victim and the second person were fatally wounded.
"It returns me to where I was that day.
"I assisted with the victim and lay him in the vehicle.
"I went through every moment during the evidence.
"Notwithstanding having to go through the process – it's still valuable for me."