How this Prosecution of an Army Veteran Regarding the 1972 Londonderry Incident Ended in Case Dismissal
Sunday 30 January 1972 remains one of the most fatal – and momentous – occasions throughout thirty years of conflict in the region.
Throughout the area of the incident – the memories of that fateful day are displayed on the structures and seared in people's minds.
A public gathering was held on a cold but bright period in Londonderry.
The protest was challenging the policy of internment – holding suspects without trial – which had been implemented following multiple years of violence.
Soldiers from the specialized division killed thirteen individuals in the Bogside area – which was, and still is, a strongly republican area.
A particular photograph became notably memorable.
Photographs showed a religious figure, the priest, waving a blood-stained white handkerchief while attempting to protect a group moving a young man, Jackie Duddy, who had been mortally injured.
News camera operators documented extensive video on the day.
Documented accounts includes Father Daly explaining to a journalist that soldiers "just seemed to discharge weapons randomly" 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 first inquiry.
The initial inquiry determined the military had been attacked first.
During the resolution efforts, the administration set up another inquiry, in response to advocacy by bereaved relatives, who said the first investigation had been a inadequate investigation.
In 2010, the report by the inquiry said that on balance, the soldiers had fired first and that zero among the casualties had been armed.
The contemporary head of state, the leader, expressed regret in the government chamber – declaring fatalities were "unjustified and unjustifiable."
Authorities began to examine the incident.
A military veteran, identified as Soldier F, was prosecuted for homicide.
He was charged regarding the fatalities of the first individual, 22, and twenty-six-year-old another victim.
The defendant was additionally charged of seeking to harm Patrick O'Donnell, other civilians, further individuals, another person, and an unnamed civilian.
There is a legal order maintaining the soldier's privacy, which his legal team have argued is required because he is at danger.
He testified the Saville Inquiry that he had exclusively discharged his weapon at persons who were armed.
That claim was rejected in the final report.
Material from the investigation could not be used straightforwardly as proof in the legal proceedings.
In court, the defendant was shielded from sight with a protective barrier.
He made statements for the opening instance in the hearing at a session in December 2024, to answer "innocent" when the charges were put to him.
Kin of the victims on the incident travelled from the city to the courthouse every day of the trial.
A family member, whose brother Michael was killed, said they were aware that attending the case would be emotional.
"I visualize the events in my mind's eye," John said, as we walked around the main locations referenced in the trial – from the location, where the victim was shot dead, to the nearby Glenfada Park, where the individual and the second person were killed.
"It reminds me to where I was that day.
"I participated in moving my brother and put him in the vehicle.
"I went through each detail during the testimony.
"But even with experiencing the process – it's still valuable for me."