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January 30th, 1972 remains among the most deadly – and consequential – occasions during thirty years of unrest in Northern Ireland.

Throughout the area of the incident – the memories of that fateful day are displayed on the structures and etched in collective memory.

A public gathering was conducted on a wintry, sunny day in Derry.

The protest was a protest against the practice of imprisonment without charges – holding suspects without due process – which had been implemented following multiple years of unrest.

Military personnel from the specialized division shot dead thirteen individuals in the district – which was, and continues to be, a strongly nationalist community.

A particular photograph became particularly memorable.

Pictures showed a Catholic priest, the priest, displaying a bloodied cloth as he tried to protect a crowd moving a teenager, the fatally wounded individual, who had been fatally wounded.

Journalists documented considerable film on the day.

The archive features Father Daly explaining to a journalist that troops "just seemed to shoot indiscriminately" and he was "absolutely certain" that there was no provocation for the discharge of weapons.

That version of events was disputed by the first inquiry.

The initial inquiry determined the soldiers had been attacked first.

During the negotiation period, the administration set up a new investigation, following pressure by family members, who said the initial inquiry had been a whitewash.

During 2010, the conclusion by the investigation said that on balance, the paratroopers had discharged weapons initially and that not one of the individuals had presented danger.

The then government leader, the Prime Minister, issued an apology in the Parliament – saying killings were "without justification and unjustifiable."

Authorities started to look into the matter.

A military veteran, known as the defendant, was prosecuted for killing.

He was charged over the fatalities of James Wray, in his twenties, and twenty-six-year-old William McKinney.

Soldier F was further implicated of seeking to harm several people, additional persons, further individuals, an additional individual, and an unidentified individual.

Remains a legal order maintaining the veteran's privacy, which his attorneys have maintained is necessary because he is at risk of attack.

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

The statement was rejected in the official findings.

Material from the investigation could not be used directly as evidence in the criminal process.

In the dock, the veteran was screened from view behind a protective barrier.

He made statements for the first time in court at a proceeding in December 2024, to reply "not responsible" when the charges were put to him.

Kin of those who were killed on the incident journeyed from Derry to the judicial building every day of the case.

One relative, whose brother Michael was fatally wounded, said they understood that hearing the trial would be emotional.

"I remember all details in my memory," he said, as we walked around the main locations referenced in the case – from the location, where the victim was killed, to the nearby the area, where James Wray and another victim were died.

"It returns me to my location that day.

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

"I experienced again each detail during the evidence.

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