How the Trial of a Former Soldier Regarding the 1972 Londonderry Incident Ended in Case Dismissal
Sunday 30 January 1972 is remembered as one of the most fatal – and significant – dates during thirty years of unrest in this area.
In the streets of the incident – the memories of the tragic events are visible on the walls and embedded in public consciousness.
A civil rights march was held on a chilly yet clear day in the city.
The demonstration was challenging the system of detention without trial – imprisoning people without trial – which had been implemented after an extended period of conflict.
Military personnel from the Parachute Regiment killed thirteen individuals in the Bogside area – which was, and still is, a strongly Irish nationalist community.
A particular photograph became particularly prominent.
Pictures showed a clergyman, Father Daly, waving a blood-stained fabric as he tried to protect a assembly carrying a young man, the injured teenager, who had been mortally injured.
News camera operators captured considerable film on the day.
Historical records features the priest telling a journalist that soldiers "gave the impression they would shoot indiscriminately" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no reason for the shooting.
This account of events was rejected by the original examination.
The Widgery Tribunal found the soldiers had been fired upon initially.
In the negotiation period, the administration set up another inquiry, in response to advocacy by family members, who said the initial inquiry had been a inadequate investigation.
That year, the conclusion by the inquiry said that on balance, the soldiers had initiated shooting and that zero among the individuals had posed any threat.
The then head of state, David Cameron, expressed regret in the House of Commons – stating killings were "without justification and unjustifiable."
Law enforcement began to examine the incident.
A military veteran, referred to as the defendant, was brought to trial for homicide.
He was charged over the fatalities of the first individual, twenty-two, and in his mid-twenties William McKinney.
Soldier F was also accused of attempting to murder several people, other civilians, further individuals, an additional individual, and an unnamed civilian.
Exists a legal order preserving the defendant's anonymity, which his legal team have claimed is essential because he is at risk of attack.
He stated to the Saville Inquiry that he had solely shot at individuals who were possessing firearms.
The statement was disputed in the official findings.
Information from the inquiry could not be used directly as proof in the legal proceedings.
In court, the defendant was screened from view using a privacy screen.
He made statements for the first time in court at a proceeding in December 2024, to respond "not guilty" when the charges were presented.
Relatives of the deceased on the incident made the trip from Derry to the judicial building every day of the case.
A family member, whose sibling was killed, said they understood that hearing the case would be difficult.
"I can see the events in my mind's eye," John said, as we visited the key areas discussed in the proceedings – from Rossville Street, where the victim was killed, to the nearby the courtyard, where one victim and the second person were killed.
"It even takes me back to where I was that day.
"I assisted with the victim and place him in the ambulance.
"I experienced again the entire event during the testimony.
"Notwithstanding experiencing all that – it's still meaningful for me."