The Way this Trial of a Former Soldier Regarding Bloody Sunday Ended in Not Guilty Verdict

January 30th, 1972 stands as one of the deadliest – and significant – dates throughout thirty years of violence in Northern Ireland.

In the streets where events unfolded – the legacy of Bloody Sunday are painted on the walls and etched in collective memory.

A protest demonstration was organized on a chilly yet clear period in Londonderry.

The protest was opposing the system of internment – detaining individuals without trial – which had been established after three years of unrest.

Soldiers from the specialized division killed 13 people in the Bogside area – which was, and still is, a predominantly Irish nationalist area.

One image became notably prominent.

Pictures showed a Catholic priest, Fr Edward Daly, waving a stained with blood cloth in his effort to defend a assembly carrying a teenager, the injured teenager, who had been killed.

Journalists recorded extensive video on the day.

Documented accounts contains the priest explaining to a media representative that soldiers "gave the impression they would discharge weapons randomly" and he was "absolutely certain" that there was no reason for the shooting.

This account of events wasn't accepted by the original examination.

The first investigation found the soldiers had been shot at first.

Throughout the resolution efforts, Tony Blair's government set up another inquiry, in response to advocacy by surviving kin, who said Widgery had been a inadequate investigation.

During 2010, the conclusion by the investigation said that overall, the paratroopers had fired first and that none of the casualties had presented danger.

The then government leader, the leader, issued an apology in the House of Commons – stating fatalities were "improper and unjustifiable."

Authorities began to look into the incident.

An ex-soldier, referred to as the accused, was prosecuted for murder.

Indictments were filed concerning the killings of one victim, in his twenties, and in his mid-twenties William McKinney.

The defendant was also accused of trying to kill Patrick O'Donnell, other civilians, Joe Mahon, another person, and an unnamed civilian.

There is a legal order maintaining the veteran's anonymity, which his attorneys have maintained is required because he is at risk of attack.

He testified the Saville Inquiry that he had solely shot at individuals who were carrying weapons.

This assertion was dismissed in the concluding document.

Evidence from the examination was unable to be used straightforwardly as proof in the criminal process.

In the dock, the defendant was screened from view behind a privacy screen.

He addressed the court for the initial occasion in the proceedings at a hearing in December 2024, to answer "innocent" when the accusations were presented.

Relatives of the victims on that day made the trip from the city to the judicial building every day of the proceedings.

A family member, whose brother Michael was died, said they were aware that hearing the case would be emotional.

"I remember the events in my recollection," he said, as we visited the main locations mentioned in the proceedings – from the location, where his brother was fatally wounded, to the nearby the area, where James Wray and the second person were died.

"It reminds me to where I was that day.

"I assisted with the victim and lay him in the medical transport.

"I relived every moment during the proceedings.

"Despite experiencing all that – it's still valuable for me."