The Way the Prosecution of a Former Soldier Over Bloody Sunday Ended in Acquittal

Sunday 30 January 1972 stands as among the most deadly – and significant – days during three decades of unrest in Northern Ireland.

In the streets of the incident – the images of Bloody Sunday are displayed on the structures and etched in collective memory.

A civil rights march was held on a cold but bright afternoon in Londonderry.

The demonstration was a protest against the policy of detention without trial – holding suspects without due process – which had been put in place following three years of unrest.

Military personnel from the elite army unit fatally wounded multiple civilians in the district – which was, and remains, a predominantly nationalist population.

A particular photograph became particularly memorable.

Pictures showed a clergyman, Fr Edward Daly, using a bloodied fabric in his effort to shield a group moving a youth, the injured teenager, who had been mortally injured.

News camera operators captured considerable film on the day.

Documented accounts features Fr Daly informing a media representative that soldiers "gave the impression they would fire in all directions" and he was "absolutely certain" that there was no justification for the shooting.

That version of the incident wasn't accepted by the original examination.

The Widgery Tribunal concluded the military had been shot at first.

Throughout the peace process, the ruling party established another inquiry, in response to advocacy by surviving kin, who said Widgery had been a inadequate investigation.

That year, the report by Lord Saville said that overall, the paratroopers had fired first and that not one of the individuals had posed any threat.

At that time government leader, David Cameron, expressed regret in the government chamber – saying killings were "improper and unacceptable."

Law enforcement began to examine the events.

One former paratrooper, referred to as the accused, was brought to trial for homicide.

Indictments were filed concerning the deaths of one victim, twenty-two, and twenty-six-year-old William McKinney.

The defendant was also accused of trying to kill several people, Joseph Friel, further individuals, Michael Quinn, and an unidentified individual.

Remains a court ruling preserving the soldier's identity protection, which his legal team have claimed is essential because he is at threat.

He stated to the examination that he had solely shot at individuals who were armed.

This assertion was dismissed in the official findings.

Information from the investigation was unable to be used directly as testimony in the legal proceedings.

During the trial, the defendant was shielded from sight with a privacy screen.

He spoke for the first time in court at a session in that month, to answer "not guilty" when the accusations were presented.

Family members of the deceased on the incident journeyed from Londonderry to the judicial building daily of the proceedings.

One relative, whose sibling was fatally wounded, said they were aware that listening to the case would be difficult.

"I remember the events in my memory," the relative said, as we visited the main locations referenced in the trial – from the location, where the victim was killed, to the adjacent Glenfada Park, where James Wray and another victim were fatally wounded.

"It returns me to where I was that day.

"I participated in moving my brother and put him in the ambulance.

"I went through the entire event during the testimony.

"Despite having to go through all that – it's still valuable for me."