How the Trial of a Former Soldier Over the 1972 Londonderry Incident Ended in Not Guilty Verdict

January 30th, 1972 stands as arguably the deadliest – and momentous – dates throughout multiple decades of unrest in this area.

Throughout the area of the incident – the memories of the tragic events are painted on the walls and embedded in people's minds.

A civil rights march was conducted on a cold but bright afternoon in Derry.

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

Troops from the Parachute Regiment shot dead multiple civilians in the district – which was, and continues to be, a strongly nationalist community.

One image became notably prominent.

Photographs showed a Catholic priest, Fr Edward Daly, waving a blood-stained cloth as he tried to shield a crowd transporting a teenager, Jackie Duddy, who had been killed.

News camera operators recorded much footage on the day.

The archive contains Fr Daly informing a media representative that troops "just seemed to fire in all directions" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no justification for the discharge of weapons.

That version of what happened was disputed by the original examination.

The Widgery Tribunal found the Army had been fired upon initially.

In the negotiation period, Tony Blair's government commissioned a fresh examination, in response to advocacy by surviving kin, who said the initial inquiry had been a whitewash.

That year, the conclusion by the investigation said that generally, the soldiers had discharged weapons initially and that none of the victims had posed any threat.

The contemporary head of state, the Prime Minister, expressed regret in the Parliament – saying killings were "without justification and unjustifiable."

Law enforcement started to look into the matter.

One former paratrooper, identified as the accused, was charged for murder.

Accusations were made concerning the fatalities of one victim, twenty-two, and in his mid-twenties the second individual.

The accused was also accused of attempting to murder Patrick O'Donnell, other civilians, Joe Mahon, another person, and an unknown person.

Remains a court ruling preserving the defendant's anonymity, which his lawyers have maintained is required because he is at threat.

He testified the examination that he had only fired at people who were carrying weapons.

The statement was dismissed in the final report.

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

In the dock, the veteran was hidden from public with a protective barrier.

He made statements for the initial occasion in the proceedings at a session in late 2024, to reply "innocent" when the accusations were put to him.

Relatives of those who were killed on that day made the trip from Londonderry to Belfast Crown Court each day of the proceedings.

A family member, whose relative was fatally wounded, said they always knew that hearing the proceedings would be painful.

"I can see everything in my recollection," he said, as we examined the primary sites discussed in the proceedings – from the location, where his brother was killed, to the nearby Glenfada Park, where James Wray and the second person were killed.

"It reminds me to my location that day.

"I assisted with Michael and place him in the ambulance.

"I relived the entire event during the evidence.

"But even with enduring everything – it's still valuable for me."