The Way this Legal Case of a Former Soldier Over the 1972 Londonderry Incident Ended in Case Dismissal
Sunday 30 January 1972 is remembered as one of the most fatal – and momentous – occasions throughout thirty years of conflict in this area.
Within the community of the incident – the images of the tragic events are visible on the buildings and seared in collective memory.
A protest demonstration was held on a chilly yet clear day in Derry.
The demonstration was opposing the practice of imprisonment without charges – detaining individuals without due process – which had been implemented following an extended period of conflict.
Military personnel from the elite army unit fatally wounded multiple civilians in the neighborhood – which was, and continues to be, a overwhelmingly nationalist area.
One image became especially iconic.
Pictures showed a clergyman, Fr Edward Daly, waving a blood-stained cloth as he tried to shield a group carrying a teenager, Jackie Duddy, who had been killed.
Journalists recorded extensive video on the day.
The archive includes Father Daly informing a journalist that troops "just seemed to fire in all directions" and he was "completely sure" that there was no justification for the gunfire.
The narrative of the incident was rejected by the first inquiry.
The Widgery Tribunal determined the Army had been fired upon initially.
In the peace process, the ruling party established a new investigation, in response to advocacy by bereaved relatives, who said the initial inquiry had been a inadequate investigation.
During 2010, the report by Lord Saville said that on balance, the military personnel had fired first and that zero among the victims had posed any threat.
The then Prime Minister, the leader, expressed regret in the House of Commons – declaring killings were "unjustified and inexcusable."
Law enforcement started to examine the events.
A military veteran, identified as the defendant, was brought to trial for killing.
Indictments were filed regarding the fatalities of the first individual, twenty-two, and in his mid-twenties William McKinney.
Soldier F was additionally charged of trying to kill several people, additional persons, Joe Mahon, Michael Quinn, and an unknown person.
There is a court ruling maintaining the soldier's anonymity, which his lawyers have argued is required because he is at danger.
He testified the examination that he had only fired at persons who were armed.
The statement was disputed in the concluding document.
Material from the examination could not be used straightforwardly as proof in the legal proceedings.
In court, the accused was hidden from public using a privacy screen.
He made statements for the opening instance in the proceedings at a proceeding in December 2024, to answer "not responsible" when the charges were presented.
Relatives of those who were killed on the incident made the trip from Londonderry to the courthouse daily of the trial.
A family member, whose relative was fatally wounded, said they understood that listening to the proceedings would be difficult.
"I remember everything in my recollection," he said, as we visited the primary sites referenced in the trial – from the street, where Michael was fatally wounded, to the adjacent the courtyard, where one victim and William McKinney were killed.
"It even takes me back to my location that day.
"I participated in moving the victim and place him in the vehicle.
"I experienced again the entire event during the evidence.
"Notwithstanding having to go through everything – it's still meaningful for me."