How this Legal Case of a Former Soldier Regarding the 1972 Londonderry Incident Concluded in Not Guilty Verdict

January 30th, 1972 is remembered as arguably the deadliest – and momentous – occasions in three decades of unrest in Northern Ireland.

Within the community where events unfolded – the legacy of Bloody Sunday are painted on the structures and seared in people's minds.

A public gathering was organized on a wintry, sunny period in Derry.

The protest was a protest against the system of internment – imprisoning people without trial – which had been put in place following multiple years of violence.

Troops from the elite army unit fatally wounded multiple civilians in the Bogside area – which was, and still is, a strongly republican population.

One image became particularly iconic.

Photographs showed a clergyman, Father Daly, waving a blood-stained cloth as he tried to defend a assembly carrying a teenager, the fatally wounded individual, who had been fatally wounded.

Journalists recorded much footage on the day.

Historical records contains Father Daly telling a journalist that soldiers "appeared to shoot indiscriminately" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no provocation for the gunfire.

This account of events wasn't accepted by the initial investigation.

The initial inquiry concluded the military had been shot at first.

In the peace process, the ruling party established another inquiry, in response to advocacy by bereaved relatives, who said the first investigation had been a cover-up.

During 2010, the findings by the inquiry said that generally, the military personnel had initiated shooting and that zero among the victims had been armed.

The then Prime Minister, the leader, issued an apology in the government chamber – declaring deaths were "improper and unjustifiable."

Law enforcement started to examine the matter.

A military veteran, referred to as the defendant, was prosecuted for murder.

Indictments were filed regarding the killings of the first individual, twenty-two, and 26-year-old another victim.

The defendant was additionally charged of trying to kill Patrick O'Donnell, additional persons, further individuals, Michael Quinn, and an unnamed civilian.

Exists a legal order preserving the defendant's privacy, which his attorneys have maintained is essential because he is at danger.

He stated to the Saville Inquiry that he had only fired at persons who were possessing firearms.

The statement was dismissed in the official findings.

Evidence from the inquiry would not be used straightforwardly as proof in the criminal process.

In court, the defendant was shielded from sight behind a privacy screen.

He addressed the court for the first time in court at a proceeding in late 2024, to answer "not guilty" when the allegations were presented.

Kin of the victims on Bloody Sunday made the trip from Derry to the courthouse every day of the trial.

John Kelly, whose brother Michael was fatally wounded, said they were aware that listening to the proceedings would be painful.

"I visualize everything in my mind's eye," he said, as we visited the key areas referenced in the trial – from the street, where his brother was fatally wounded, to the nearby the courtyard, where the individual and William McKinney were killed.

"It reminds me to where I was that day.

"I assisted with my brother and place him in the medical transport.

"I relived every moment during the testimony.

"But even with experiencing everything – it's still meaningful for me."