The Way the Legal Case of a Former Soldier Regarding Bloody Sunday Concluded in Not Guilty Verdict
Sunday 30 January 1972 is remembered as among the deadliest – and momentous – dates during thirty years of conflict in Northern Ireland.
In the streets where it happened – the memories of that fateful day are displayed on the structures and etched in public consciousness.
A civil rights march was conducted on a chilly yet clear afternoon in Derry.
The protest was opposing the practice of imprisonment without charges – holding suspects without due process – which had been put in place in response to an extended period of violence.
Military personnel from the Parachute Regiment shot dead multiple civilians in the Bogside area – which was, and still is, a overwhelmingly Irish nationalist area.
A particular photograph became notably prominent.
Photographs showed a clergyman, Father Daly, displaying a stained with blood cloth as he tried to defend a group carrying a teenager, the injured teenager, who had been fatally wounded.
Media personnel documented extensive video on the day.
The archive features Fr Daly informing a media representative that troops "just seemed to fire in all directions" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no provocation for the discharge of weapons.
The narrative of what happened wasn't accepted by the first inquiry.
The first investigation determined the military had been fired upon initially.
In the resolution efforts, Tony Blair's government established another inquiry, after campaigning by family members, who said the initial inquiry had been a inadequate investigation.
In 2010, the findings by Lord Saville said that generally, the paratroopers had discharged weapons initially and that none of the victims had been armed.
The then Prime Minister, David Cameron, expressed regret in the government chamber – stating deaths were "improper and inexcusable."
The police began to look into the events.
A military veteran, known as the accused, was prosecuted for killing.
Indictments were filed concerning the deaths of James Wray, twenty-two, and twenty-six-year-old another victim.
The defendant was also accused of seeking to harm Patrick O'Donnell, other civilians, further individuals, another person, and an unidentified individual.
There is a court ruling maintaining the defendant's anonymity, which his lawyers have maintained is essential because he is at danger.
He testified the examination that he had solely shot at individuals who were possessing firearms.
That claim was disputed in the official findings.
Material from the examination was unable to be used straightforwardly as evidence in the legal proceedings.
In court, the defendant was screened from view using a protective barrier.
He addressed the court for the opening instance in court at a hearing in that month, to answer "not guilty" when the allegations were presented.
Relatives of the deceased on Bloody Sunday made the trip from the city to the judicial building every day of the proceedings.
A family member, whose sibling was killed, said they understood that listening to the case would be emotional.
"I visualize all details in my mind's eye," John said, as we walked around the key areas mentioned in the case – from Rossville Street, where Michael was killed, to the nearby Glenfada Park, where the individual and the second person were died.
"It even takes me back to where I was that day.
"I participated in moving my brother and lay him in the medical transport.
"I went through every moment during the testimony.
"Notwithstanding experiencing everything – it's still worthwhile for me."