The Way the Trial of a Former Soldier Regarding Bloody Sunday Concluded in Acquittal
January 30th, 1972 stands as arguably the deadliest – and momentous – days throughout three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.
In the streets where it happened – the legacy of the tragic events are displayed on the walls and embedded in collective memory.
A civil rights march was conducted on a wintry, sunny period in the city.
The protest was a protest against the policy of imprisonment without charges – detaining individuals without legal proceedings – which had been implemented following three years of conflict.
Troops from the specialized division shot dead thirteen individuals in the district – which was, and continues to be, a overwhelmingly republican area.
One image became particularly iconic.
Images showed a clergyman, Father Daly, waving a bloodied fabric as he tried to shield a assembly moving a young man, the fatally wounded individual, who had been fatally wounded.
Journalists documented much footage on the day.
Documented accounts features Father Daly telling a reporter that military personnel "just seemed to fire in all directions" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no justification for the shooting.
This account of the incident was rejected by the first inquiry.
The Widgery Tribunal concluded the military had been fired upon initially.
In the peace process, the ruling party set up a fresh examination, following pressure by family members, who said the first investigation had been a cover-up.
That year, the conclusion by the investigation said that generally, the soldiers had fired first and that zero among the individuals had been armed.
The contemporary government leader, the leader, issued an apology in the Parliament – stating killings were "without justification and inexcusable."
Authorities began to investigate the events.
One former paratrooper, referred to as Soldier F, was charged for murder.
Accusations were made concerning the killings of James Wray, 22, and twenty-six-year-old the second individual.
The defendant was also accused of seeking to harm multiple individuals, Joseph Friel, further individuals, an additional individual, and an unknown person.
There is a legal order protecting the veteran's anonymity, which his lawyers have maintained is necessary because he is at threat.
He testified the examination that he had only fired at individuals who were carrying weapons.
The statement was dismissed in the official findings.
Information from the investigation would not be used straightforwardly as testimony in the legal proceedings.
During the trial, the accused was screened from view using a protective barrier.
He addressed the court for the first time in court at a session in late 2024, to answer "not guilty" when the accusations were put to him.
Relatives of the victims on Bloody Sunday travelled from Derry to Belfast Crown Court every day of the case.
John Kelly, whose brother Michael was killed, said they always knew that attending the trial would be emotional.
"I can see everything in my recollection," the relative said, as we examined the key areas referenced in the trial – from the location, where his brother was killed, to the adjoining the area, where one victim and another victim were fatally wounded.
"It even takes me back to my location that day.
"I helped to carry Michael and lay him in the ambulance.
"I relived each detail during the proceedings.
"Despite enduring everything – it's still meaningful for me."
