🔗 Share this article The Way the Legal Case of an Army Veteran Over Bloody Sunday Ended in Acquittal Protesters in a tense situation with military personnel on Bloody Sunday January 30th, 1972 stands as among the most deadly – and consequential – days in three decades of violence in Northern Ireland. In the streets where events unfolded – the legacy of the tragic events are visible on the walls and seared in collective memory. A civil rights march was held on a chilly yet clear day in the city. The protest was opposing the system of internment – detaining individuals without due process – which had been put in place following three years of conflict. Father Daly displayed a white cloth stained with blood in an effort to defend a group transporting a teenager, Jackie Duddy Soldiers from the Parachute Regiment shot dead 13 people in the district – which was, and continues to be, a overwhelmingly nationalist area. A particular photograph became notably iconic. Photographs showed a clergyman, the priest, waving a bloodied white handkerchief as he tried to defend a group transporting a young man, the fatally wounded individual, who had been mortally injured. Media personnel documented considerable film on the day. The archive features the priest explaining to a reporter that soldiers "just seemed to discharge weapons randomly" and he was "absolutely certain" that there was no reason for the gunfire. Civilians in the district being marched towards detention by British troops on Bloody Sunday The narrative of the incident was rejected by the initial investigation. The Widgery Tribunal found the soldiers had been fired upon initially. In the peace process, the administration set up another inquiry, after campaigning by family members, who said Widgery had been a cover-up. That year, the conclusion by Lord Saville said that on balance, the paratroopers had discharged weapons initially and that not one of the victims had posed any threat. At that time head of state, the Prime Minister, expressed regret in the Parliament – saying fatalities were "unjustified and unacceptable." Families of the casualties of the 1972 incident shootings march from the neighborhood of Londonderry to the Guildhall carrying photographs of their relatives The police started to examine the incident. An ex-soldier, known as Soldier F, was prosecuted for killing. Accusations were made over the deaths of the first individual, 22, and 26-year-old another victim. The accused was also accused of seeking to harm multiple individuals, other civilians, more people, Michael Quinn, and an unidentified individual. There is a court ruling preserving the soldier's privacy, which his lawyers have argued is required because he is at risk of attack. He told the investigation that he had only fired at individuals who were possessing firearms. The statement was dismissed in the final report. Evidence from the inquiry could not be used straightforwardly as testimony in the criminal process. During the trial, the veteran was hidden from public using a privacy screen. He spoke for the initial occasion in the hearing at a session in late 2024, to answer "innocent" when the allegations were put to him. Relatives and supporters of those killed on that day display a banner and photographs of the deceased Relatives of the victims on the incident travelled from Londonderry to the courthouse daily of the proceedings. John Kelly, whose brother Michael was fatally wounded, said they understood that hearing the proceedings would be painful. "I remember all details in my memory," he said, as we visited the key areas discussed in the case – from the location, where the victim was shot dead, to the adjoining the area, where the individual and the second person were died. "It even takes me back to my position that day. "I participated in moving Michael and lay him in the medical transport. "I relived every moment during the testimony. "Despite experiencing the process – it's still meaningful for me."