The Way this Trial of a Former Soldier Over the 1972 Londonderry Incident Concluded in Not Guilty Verdict

Protesters in a confrontation with military personnel on Bloody Sunday
Youths in a stand-off with British soldiers on Bloody Sunday

Sunday 30 January 1972 is remembered as among the deadliest – and consequential – occasions in thirty years of unrest in this area.

Within the community where it happened – the legacy of Bloody Sunday are painted on the walls and embedded in public consciousness.

A public gathering was held on a chilly yet clear day in Londonderry.

The protest was a protest against the policy of imprisonment without charges – imprisoning people without trial – which had been implemented in response to an extended period of conflict.

A Catholic priest waved a white cloth stained with blood as he tried to shield a group carrying a teenager, the injured teenager
Fr Edward Daly displayed a bloodied fabric in an effort to protect a crowd carrying a youth, Jackie Duddy

Troops from the Parachute Regiment shot dead multiple civilians in the Bogside area – which was, and continues to be, a strongly Irish nationalist community.

A particular photograph became particularly memorable.

Pictures showed a clergyman, the priest, displaying a bloodied fabric in his effort to shield a assembly transporting a teenager, Jackie Duddy, who had been fatally wounded.

News camera operators documented much footage on the day.

Documented accounts contains Father Daly informing a journalist that soldiers "just seemed to shoot indiscriminately" and he was "completely sure" that there was no reason for the gunfire.

Protesters in the Bogside area being marched towards detention by soldiers on Bloody Sunday
Protesters in the neighborhood being marched towards custody by soldiers on Bloody Sunday

The narrative of what happened was rejected by the original examination.

The first investigation found the soldiers had been fired upon initially.

Throughout the resolution efforts, the ruling party established a fresh examination, after campaigning by surviving kin, who said the first investigation had been a whitewash.

During 2010, the conclusion by the inquiry said that overall, the soldiers had initiated shooting and that zero among the victims had been armed.

The then head of state, the leader, expressed regret in the government chamber – stating fatalities were "unjustified and unjustifiable."

Relatives of the casualties of the Bloody Sunday killings walk from the neighborhood of the city to the Guildhall carrying pictures of their relatives
Relatives of the casualties of the tragic event fatalities walk from the neighborhood of Londonderry to the civic building carrying images of their family members

Law enforcement commenced examine the matter.

An ex-soldier, known as the defendant, was brought to trial for homicide.

He was charged regarding the fatalities of one victim, 22, and twenty-six-year-old the second individual.

The accused was additionally charged of seeking to harm multiple individuals, additional persons, further individuals, Michael Quinn, and an unknown person.

There is a judicial decision protecting the soldier's privacy, which his legal team have argued is required because he is at danger.

He testified the investigation that he had solely shot at individuals who were possessing firearms.

The statement was disputed in the concluding document.

Information from the examination would not be used straightforwardly as evidence in the court case.

During the trial, the accused was screened from view behind a protective barrier.

He made statements for the first time in court at a proceeding in that month, to respond "not guilty" when the accusations were put to him.

Relatives and allies of the victims on the incident display a banner and photographs of the deceased
Relatives and allies of those killed on the incident display a banner and photographs of the victims

Relatives of the deceased on the incident travelled from Derry to Belfast Crown Court every day of the proceedings.

A family member, whose sibling was died, said they understood that hearing the case would be emotional.

"I can see all details in my memory," John said, as we walked around the main locations discussed in the case – from Rossville Street, where Michael was killed, to the adjacent Glenfada Park, where the individual and the second person were died.

"It even takes me back to where I was that day.

"I participated in moving my brother and put him in the ambulance.

"I relived every moment during the evidence.

"Despite experiencing all that – it's still valuable for me."

One victim (left) and William McKinney (right) were part of who were died on the incident
Anita Owens
Anita Owens

A forward-thinking entrepreneur and tech enthusiast with over a decade of experience in digital transformation and startup consulting.