How the Prosecution of an Army Veteran Over the 1972 Londonderry Incident Concluded in Not Guilty Verdict

January 30th, 1972 is remembered as one of the most deadly – and significant – days during three decades of unrest in this area.

In the streets of the incident – the memories of Bloody Sunday are painted on the structures and seared in collective memory.

A civil rights march was held on a wintry, sunny period in Londonderry.

The demonstration was challenging the policy of imprisonment without charges – imprisoning people without legal proceedings – which had been established after multiple years of conflict.

Soldiers from the specialized division shot dead 13 people in the neighborhood – which was, and continues to be, a predominantly Irish nationalist population.

One image became particularly prominent.

Pictures showed a clergyman, the priest, displaying a bloodied fabric as he tried to protect a assembly carrying a young man, the fatally wounded individual, who had been killed.

News camera operators recorded extensive video on the day.

The archive includes the priest telling a media representative that military personnel "just seemed to discharge weapons randomly" and he was "absolutely certain" that there was no justification for the gunfire.

The narrative of events was rejected by the first inquiry.

The first investigation determined the soldiers had been attacked first.

Throughout the negotiation period, the administration established a new investigation, following pressure by bereaved relatives, who said the first investigation had been a inadequate investigation.

During 2010, the conclusion by Lord Saville said that overall, the soldiers had discharged weapons initially and that not one of the casualties had posed any threat.

The contemporary Prime Minister, the leader, issued an apology in the government chamber – stating fatalities were "without justification and inexcusable."

The police began to examine the matter.

An ex-soldier, known as Soldier F, was brought to trial for homicide.

He was charged regarding the killings of the first individual, in his twenties, and in his mid-twenties the second individual.

Soldier F was also accused of attempting to murder Patrick O'Donnell, additional persons, Joe Mahon, Michael Quinn, and an unnamed civilian.

Remains a judicial decision preserving the veteran's privacy, which his attorneys have claimed is required because he is at danger.

He stated to the Saville Inquiry that he had exclusively discharged his weapon at persons who were carrying weapons.

This assertion was dismissed in the final report.

Information from the examination would not be used directly as testimony in the criminal process.

During the trial, the veteran was screened from view with a protective barrier.

He made statements for the initial occasion in court at a hearing in December 2024, to respond "not responsible" when the allegations were presented.

Kin of the deceased on the incident travelled from Derry to the courthouse each day of the proceedings.

John Kelly, whose relative was died, said they understood that listening to the case would be difficult.

"I remember everything in my mind's eye," he said, as we visited the primary sites referenced in the trial – from the location, where the victim was fatally wounded, to the nearby the courtyard, where James Wray and another victim were died.

"It even takes me back to my location that day.

"I assisted with Michael and put him in the vehicle.

"I experienced again every moment during the proceedings.

"But even with experiencing the process – it's still worthwhile for me."