🔗 Share this article The Way this Trial of an Army Veteran Over Bloody Sunday Ended in Not Guilty Verdict Protesters in a confrontation with military personnel on Bloody Sunday Sunday 30 January 1972 is remembered as arguably the most fatal – and significant – occasions throughout multiple decades of unrest in this area. In the streets of the incident – the images of that fateful day are visible on the structures and embedded in people's minds. A public gathering was held on a cold but bright afternoon in the city. The march was opposing the system of imprisonment without charges – detaining individuals without trial – which had been implemented following three years of conflict. A Catholic priest displayed a bloodied fabric as he tried to protect a crowd carrying a teenager, Jackie Duddy Military personnel from the specialized division shot dead multiple civilians in the Bogside area – which was, and continues to be, a overwhelmingly Irish nationalist area. A specific visual became notably iconic. Pictures showed a Catholic priest, the priest, using a bloodied fabric while attempting to shield a crowd transporting a youth, Jackie Duddy, who had been fatally wounded. Journalists captured considerable film on the day. Documented accounts includes Father Daly telling a media representative that military personnel "just seemed to discharge weapons randomly" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no justification for the shooting. Individuals in the district being directed to arrest by soldiers on Bloody Sunday The narrative of the incident was disputed by the first inquiry. The Widgery Tribunal concluded the military had been attacked first. In the negotiation period, Tony Blair's government commissioned another inquiry, following pressure by surviving kin, who said the initial inquiry had been a whitewash. That year, the report by Lord Saville said that overall, the military personnel had fired first and that none of the individuals had posed any threat. The contemporary government leader, David Cameron, expressed regret in the House of Commons – stating deaths were "without justification and inexcusable." Families of the victims of the Bloody Sunday fatalities walk from the district of the city to the Guildhall displaying images of their loved ones The police began to investigate the incident. An ex-soldier, identified as the defendant, was charged for murder. Indictments were filed concerning the deaths of one victim, twenty-two, and in his mid-twenties another victim. The accused was additionally charged of trying to kill Patrick O'Donnell, additional persons, Joe Mahon, another person, and an unnamed civilian. Exists a judicial decision protecting the defendant's identity protection, which his legal team have argued is essential because he is at risk of attack. He stated to the investigation that he had only fired at individuals who were possessing firearms. The statement was rejected in the official findings. Evidence from the investigation could not be used directly as testimony in the court case. In the dock, the accused was shielded from sight with a privacy screen. He addressed the court for the opening instance in the hearing at a hearing in that month, to answer "not guilty" when the allegations were read. Kin and supporters of the victims on that day hold a banner and images of the victims Relatives of those who were killed on the incident travelled from the city to Belfast Crown Court each day of the proceedings. One relative, whose relative was fatally wounded, said they always knew that listening to the proceedings would be difficult. "I remember everything in my mind's eye," he said, as we walked around the main locations referenced in the case – from the street, where Michael was fatally wounded, to the adjoining the area, where James Wray and another victim were killed. "It reminds me to where I was that day. "I assisted with my brother and put him in the ambulance. "I went through every moment during the proceedings. "Despite experiencing the process – it's still valuable for me."