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Sunday 30 January 1972 is remembered as one of the most deadly – and significant – days throughout thirty years of violence in Northern Ireland.

Within the community of the incident – the legacy of the tragic events are visible on the structures and embedded in public consciousness.

A public gathering was conducted on a wintry, sunny afternoon in Londonderry.

The march was opposing the practice of imprisonment without charges – holding suspects without due process – which had been put in place after an extended period of violence.

Troops from the elite army unit killed 13 people in the district – which was, and continues to be, a predominantly Irish nationalist community.

One image became especially memorable.

Pictures showed a Catholic priest, Father Daly, using a stained with blood fabric as he tried to defend a crowd transporting a teenager, Jackie Duddy, who had been mortally injured.

Journalists documented much footage on the day.

Historical records features Fr Daly informing a reporter that troops "gave the impression they would shoot indiscriminately" and he was "absolutely certain" that there was no justification for the shooting.

That version of the incident was disputed by the initial investigation.

The first investigation found the soldiers had been shot at first.

During the negotiation period, Tony Blair's government commissioned a fresh examination, in response to advocacy by bereaved relatives, who said Widgery had been a cover-up.

During 2010, the conclusion by the investigation said that generally, the military personnel had discharged weapons initially and that not one of the individuals had posed any threat.

The then Prime Minister, David Cameron, apologised in the Parliament – saying fatalities were "unjustified and inexcusable."

Authorities started to look into the incident.

One former paratrooper, referred to as the defendant, was prosecuted for murder.

He was charged concerning the deaths of one victim, in his twenties, and twenty-six-year-old William McKinney.

The accused was also accused of seeking to harm Patrick O'Donnell, Joseph Friel, more people, an additional individual, and an unnamed civilian.

There is a judicial decision maintaining the defendant's privacy, which his lawyers have maintained is essential because he is at threat.

He told the examination that he had only fired at individuals who were armed.

This assertion was rejected in the concluding document.

Information from the investigation would not be used immediately as evidence in the criminal process.

During the trial, the accused was shielded from sight using a blue curtain.

He spoke for the first time in the proceedings at a proceeding in late 2024, to answer "innocent" when the allegations were read.

Kin of the deceased on that day journeyed from the city to the courthouse each day of the proceedings.

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

"I remember the events in my recollection," he said, as we visited the main locations referenced in the proceedings – from Rossville Street, where Michael was shot dead, to the adjacent the courtyard, where James Wray and another victim were died.

"It returns me to my position that day.

"I participated in moving my brother and put him in the medical transport.

"I went through each detail during the testimony.

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