How this Legal Case of an Army Veteran Regarding the 1972 Londonderry Incident Ended in Acquittal
January 30th, 1972 is remembered as among the most deadly – and momentous – days during multiple decades of unrest in this area.
Within the community of the incident – the legacy of that fateful day are displayed on the structures and seared in collective memory.
A civil rights march was conducted on a chilly yet clear period in Derry.
The march was a protest against the system of imprisonment without charges – holding suspects without trial – which had been implemented in response to three years of conflict.
Troops from the specialized division killed 13 people in the Bogside area – which was, and still is, a strongly nationalist area.
A particular photograph became especially memorable.
Photographs showed a Catholic priest, Father Daly, displaying a bloodied white handkerchief while attempting to protect a group moving a young man, Jackie Duddy, who had been killed.
News camera operators recorded much footage on the day.
The archive contains the priest explaining to a journalist that military personnel "appeared to fire in all directions" and he was "completely sure" that there was no reason for the discharge of weapons.
This account of what happened wasn't accepted by the original examination.
The initial inquiry found the Army had been fired upon initially.
In the negotiation period, Tony Blair's government set up another inquiry, in response to advocacy by bereaved relatives, who said Widgery had been a cover-up.
In 2010, the findings by the investigation said that generally, the paratroopers had fired first and that not one of the casualties had been armed.
The then Prime Minister, the leader, apologised in the government chamber – stating killings were "unjustified and inexcusable."
The police began to examine the incident.
A military veteran, identified as the accused, was brought to trial for murder.
He was charged regarding the fatalities of the first individual, 22, and in his mid-twenties the second individual.
The accused was further implicated of attempting to murder Patrick O'Donnell, additional persons, Joe Mahon, an additional individual, and an unknown person.
There is a legal order protecting the soldier's anonymity, which his attorneys have claimed is necessary because he is at risk of attack.
He stated to the Saville Inquiry that he had solely shot at people who were armed.
This assertion was disputed in the final report.
Evidence from the inquiry could not be used immediately as evidence in the legal proceedings.
During the trial, the accused was shielded from sight with a protective barrier.
He made statements for the opening instance in the hearing at a hearing in December 2024, to respond "not guilty" when the accusations were read.
Family members of the victims on the incident journeyed from Derry to the courthouse each day of the trial.
A family member, whose brother Michael was fatally wounded, said they always knew that hearing the proceedings would be difficult.
"I can see everything in my recollection," the relative said, as we visited the key areas discussed in the proceedings – from Rossville Street, where Michael was killed, to the nearby the area, where the individual and another victim were fatally wounded.
"It returns me to where I was that day.
"I assisted with Michael and put him in the medical transport.
"I went through the entire event during the proceedings.
"But even with having to go through the process – it's still valuable for me."