How the Prosecution of a Former Soldier Over Bloody Sunday Concluded in Acquittal
January 30th, 1972 remains among the deadliest – and consequential – days during thirty years of unrest in Northern Ireland.
Within the community of the incident – the legacy of the tragic events are visible on the buildings and seared in people's minds.
A public gathering was conducted on a chilly yet clear period in the city.
The march was challenging the system of imprisonment without charges – holding suspects without due process – which had been established in response to three years of violence.
Soldiers from the elite army unit fatally wounded multiple civilians in the neighborhood – which was, and remains, a strongly republican population.
A particular photograph became especially iconic.
Images showed a religious figure, Father Daly, displaying a blood-stained fabric in his effort to defend a assembly moving a young man, the fatally wounded individual, who had been killed.
Journalists captured considerable film on the day.
The archive contains the priest telling a journalist that soldiers "appeared to fire in all directions" and he was "absolutely certain" that there was no provocation for the shooting.
That version of what happened wasn't accepted by the original examination.
The first investigation found the Army had been shot at first.
Throughout the negotiation period, the administration set up a fresh examination, following pressure by surviving kin, who said the first investigation had been a whitewash.
That year, the conclusion by the inquiry said that on balance, the soldiers had fired first and that zero among the individuals had posed any threat.
At that time government leader, the Prime Minister, expressed regret in the House of Commons – declaring fatalities were "without justification and inexcusable."
Authorities began to investigate the incident.
One former paratrooper, known as the accused, was charged for murder.
He was charged regarding the fatalities of the first individual, twenty-two, and twenty-six-year-old the second individual.
Soldier F was further implicated of attempting to murder multiple individuals, other civilians, further individuals, another person, and an unidentified individual.
Exists a judicial decision maintaining the defendant's identity protection, which his lawyers have argued is essential because he is at danger.
He stated to the Saville Inquiry that he had only fired at individuals who were carrying weapons.
This assertion was rejected in the concluding document.
Material from the investigation was unable to be used directly as testimony in the legal proceedings.
During the trial, the accused was screened from view behind a privacy screen.
He spoke for the initial occasion in the hearing at a proceeding in that month, to respond "not guilty" when the accusations were put to him.
Family members of those who were killed on Bloody Sunday journeyed from Londonderry to Belfast Crown Court every day of the proceedings.
One relative, whose sibling was died, said they always knew that hearing the case would be emotional.
"I remember the events in my memory," John said, as we visited the primary sites discussed in the proceedings – from the street, where the victim was killed, to the nearby the courtyard, where James Wray and the second person were fatally wounded.
"It reminds me to my location that day.
"I participated in moving Michael and put him in the medical transport.
"I went through the entire event during the proceedings.
"Notwithstanding having to go through everything – it's still worthwhile for me."