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

January 30th, 1972 remains among the deadliest – and momentous – occasions in multiple decades of unrest in the region.

In the streets of the incident – the memories of the tragic events are displayed on the buildings and embedded in public consciousness.

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

The march was challenging the system of internment – detaining individuals without trial – which had been implemented following three years of violence.

Military personnel from the Parachute Regiment shot dead multiple civilians in the neighborhood – which was, and remains, a strongly nationalist community.

A particular photograph became especially prominent.

Pictures showed a religious figure, Fr Edward Daly, using a bloodied white handkerchief as he tried to protect a assembly carrying a young man, the injured teenager, who had been mortally injured.

Media personnel recorded extensive video on the day.

Historical records contains the priest telling a reporter that soldiers "appeared to discharge weapons randomly" and he was "absolutely certain" that there was no provocation for the shooting.

The narrative of the incident was disputed by the first inquiry.

The initial inquiry found the soldiers had been fired upon initially.

Throughout the resolution efforts, the administration set up another inquiry, following pressure by bereaved relatives, who said the first investigation had been a inadequate investigation.

In 2010, the conclusion by Lord Saville said that generally, the paratroopers had initiated shooting and that not one of the victims had presented danger.

The then head of state, the Prime Minister, expressed regret in the House of Commons – stating fatalities were "unjustified and unjustifiable."

Law enforcement started to look into the matter.

An ex-soldier, referred to as Soldier F, was charged for killing.

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

The defendant was also accused of trying to kill Patrick O'Donnell, other civilians, more people, another person, and an unidentified individual.

There is a court ruling protecting the defendant's anonymity, which his legal team have maintained is essential because he is at danger.

He stated to the investigation that he had exclusively discharged his weapon at individuals who were carrying weapons.

This assertion was rejected in the final report.

Information from the inquiry could not be used directly as testimony in the court case.

In court, the defendant was shielded from sight with a protective barrier.

He addressed the court for the initial occasion in the proceedings at a session in that month, to answer "innocent" when the charges were put to him.

Relatives of those who were killed on Bloody Sunday made the trip from the city to the judicial building each day of the proceedings.

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

"I remember all details in my mind's eye," John said, as we examined the main locations discussed in the case – from the location, where the victim was killed, to the nearby Glenfada Park, where James Wray and William McKinney were killed.

"It reminds me to my position that day.

"I helped to carry the victim and put him in the vehicle.

"I relived every moment during the evidence.

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