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January 30th, 1972 remains among the most deadly – and consequential – days during three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.

Throughout the area of the incident – the legacy of Bloody Sunday are displayed on the buildings and etched in people's minds.

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

The march was challenging the system of detention without trial – detaining individuals without trial – which had been implemented after multiple years of conflict.

Military personnel from the specialized division fatally wounded thirteen individuals in the Bogside area – which was, and still is, a overwhelmingly nationalist area.

A particular photograph became particularly iconic.

Photographs showed a clergyman, the priest, waving a bloodied white handkerchief as he tried to defend a crowd transporting a teenager, the fatally wounded individual, who had been killed.

Media personnel recorded extensive video on the day.

The archive includes the priest explaining to a media representative that troops "appeared to fire in all directions" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no provocation for the discharge of weapons.

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

The initial inquiry found the military had been attacked first.

Throughout the peace process, Tony Blair's government commissioned a new investigation, following pressure by surviving kin, who said the first investigation had been a cover-up.

During 2010, the conclusion by Lord Saville said that generally, the military personnel had fired first and that zero among the victims had posed any threat.

At that time head of state, the Prime Minister, expressed regret in the government chamber – stating killings were "unjustified and unacceptable."

Authorities commenced investigate the incident.

An ex-soldier, referred to as the accused, was charged for homicide.

He was charged concerning the deaths of the first individual, twenty-two, and in his mid-twenties another victim.

The defendant was also accused of attempting to murder Patrick O'Donnell, additional persons, more people, an additional individual, and an unnamed civilian.

There is a court ruling protecting the soldier's privacy, which his legal team have maintained is required because he is at threat.

He told the Saville Inquiry that he had exclusively discharged his weapon at people who were carrying weapons.

That claim was rejected in the final report.

Material from the inquiry could not be used straightforwardly as proof in the criminal process.

In the dock, the accused was shielded from sight with a protective barrier.

He spoke for the first time in the hearing at a proceeding in December 2024, to answer "not guilty" when the charges were read.

Family members of the victims on Bloody Sunday made the trip from Derry to the courthouse each day of the proceedings.

One relative, whose brother Michael was killed, said they were aware that attending the trial would be painful.

"I can see the events in my recollection," John said, as we examined the key areas discussed in the trial – from the location, where Michael was fatally wounded, to the adjoining the area, where the individual and another victim were killed.

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

"I participated in moving Michael and place him in the ambulance.

"I went through the entire event during the testimony.

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