How this Prosecution of a Former Soldier Regarding the 1972 Londonderry Incident Concluded in Case Dismissal

Protesters in a stand-off with army troops on Bloody Sunday
Protesters in a confrontation with military personnel on Bloody Sunday

January 30th, 1972 is remembered as one of the deadliest – and consequential – occasions in three decades of conflict in this area.

Within the community where it happened – the memories of the tragic events are visible on the buildings and embedded in people's minds.

A civil rights march was organized on a wintry, sunny afternoon in Londonderry.

The demonstration was challenging the policy of detention without trial – detaining individuals without legal proceedings – which had been put in place after three years of conflict.

A Catholic priest displayed a white cloth stained with blood in an effort to protect a assembly carrying a young man, the injured teenager
Fr Edward Daly used a bloodied fabric as he tried to defend a assembly moving a teenager, the injured teenager

Soldiers from the Parachute Regiment fatally wounded multiple civilians in the district – which was, and remains, a strongly nationalist community.

A particular photograph became especially iconic.

Images showed a religious figure, Fr Edward Daly, waving a blood-stained white handkerchief in his effort to protect a crowd moving a young man, the fatally wounded individual, who had been killed.

News camera operators recorded extensive video on the day.

Historical records features Father Daly telling a reporter that troops "just seemed to fire in all directions" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no provocation for the discharge of weapons.

Protesters in the district being marched towards detention by soldiers on Bloody Sunday
Protesters in the neighborhood being taken to detention by soldiers on Bloody Sunday

This account of the incident was disputed by the original examination.

The first investigation determined the Army had been shot at first.

Throughout the resolution efforts, the administration set up another inquiry, in response to advocacy by surviving kin, who said Widgery had been a whitewash.

That year, the findings by Lord Saville said that on balance, the soldiers had fired first and that none of the victims had been armed.

The contemporary Prime Minister, David Cameron, apologised in the government chamber – stating fatalities were "improper and unjustifiable."

Kin of the casualties of the Bloody Sunday shootings march from the district of the city to the municipal center displaying pictures of their family members
Relatives of the victims of the Bloody Sunday shootings walk from the Bogside area of Londonderry to the Guildhall holding photographs of their relatives

The police began to examine the events.

One former paratrooper, known as the defendant, was charged for murder.

Accusations were made regarding the fatalities of one victim, 22, and 26-year-old William McKinney.

Soldier F was additionally charged of attempting to murder Patrick O'Donnell, additional persons, Joe Mahon, Michael Quinn, and an unknown person.

Remains a legal order protecting the soldier's privacy, which his attorneys have argued is required because he is at risk of attack.

He stated to the examination that he had exclusively discharged his weapon at persons who were armed.

That claim was disputed in the concluding document.

Evidence from the inquiry would not be used immediately as testimony in the criminal process.

In court, the veteran was screened from view with a blue curtain.

He addressed the court for the opening instance in court at a hearing in late 2024, to answer "not guilty" when the allegations were put to him.

Family members and advocates of the deceased on the incident display a sign and images of those killed
Relatives and allies of the victims on Bloody Sunday hold a sign and images of the deceased

Family members of the deceased on Bloody Sunday journeyed from Derry to the courthouse each day of the proceedings.

A family member, whose sibling was fatally wounded, said they understood that hearing the proceedings would be difficult.

"I can see the events in my memory," the relative said, as we visited the key areas discussed in the trial – from the location, where the victim was killed, to the adjoining Glenfada Park, where one victim and another victim were killed.

"It reminds me to my location that day.

"I helped to carry my brother and place him in the ambulance.

"I went through every moment during the testimony.

"But even with experiencing all that – it's still valuable for me."

One victim (left) and Another victim (right) were among those who were killed on the incident
Brandon Allen
Brandon Allen

An art historian and cultural enthusiast with a passion for Italian heritage and museum curation.