Daughter vows to continue 'fight for justice' as 200 attend Bloody Sunday vigil

About 200 people attended the vigil at Free Derry Corner, the area where the events of Bloody Sunday occurred more than 50 years ago

A woman whose father was shot and wounded on Bloody Sunday has said her fight for justice will continue after a former soldier was cleared of his attempted murder.

The ex-paratrooper, known as Soldier F, was found not guilty on Thursday of the murder of William McKinney, 26, and James Wray, 22, and the attempted murder of five others after a civil rights march in Londonderry in 1972.

One of those he was accused of attempting to murder was Patrick O'Donnell - his daughter Caroline said she would continue to demand soldiers be prosecuted for perjury.

On Friday evening, 200 people attended a vigil in Derry's Bogside, near where the shootings occurred, to remember those killed and injured.

Caroline O'Donnell, whose father Patrick was one of those Soldier F was cleared of trying to murder, leaves court on Thursday

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has confirmed it is reviewing a decision last year not to prosecute 15 soldiers for lying under oath.

At the vigil, Liam Wray, whose brother James was one of those Soldier F was accused of murdering, told the crowd that despite the trial outcome, the family would fight on.

He thanked people for standing by their side.

What happened in the Soldier F Bloody Sunday trial?

Soldier F was found not guilty of murdering William McKinney (left) and James Wray

In delivering the verdict on Soldier F on Thursday, Judge Patrick Lynch said members of the Parachute Regiment had shot unarmed civilians as they ran away, adding that those responsible "should hang their head in shame".

However, he said the evidence against Soldier F had fallen well short of what is required for conviction.

The verdicts angered nationalist political parties but were welcomed by unionists and veterans' campaigners, who called for an end to prosecutions of former soldiers.

Those relatives who attended court in Belfast returned to Derry on Thursday evening knowing the verdicts could not be appealed.

Ms O'Donnell, whose father Patrick - known as Patsy - died in 2006 at the age of 74, told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme they had returned home with "heavy hearts".

• EXPLAINER: The 50-year-road to a soldier standing trial for murder

• ANALYSIS: Why did the judge acquit Soldier F in Bloody Sunday trial?

• BACKGROUND: What happened on Bloody Sunday?

"Really disappointed, devastated - devastated for all the families and for Derry city," she said.

"My poor Daddy lived under that dark cloud for years of being a terrorist and a bomber and gunperson."

She said the families had been dignified for 53 years and remained so, despite the verdicts.

She echoed calls for the PPS to consider bringing charges against any living soldiers suspected of perjuring themselves in relation to the events of Bloody Sunday.

In his Soldier F judgement, Judge Lynch said that some of the soldiers had committed perjury.

"I hold that the witnesses have told lies about the events on several occasions," he said.

He added that Soldier H had twice committed perjury, when giving evidence to the Widgery Tribunal of 1972 and the Bloody Sunday Inquiry conducted by Lord Saville, and Soldier G once when giving evidence to Widgery.

Caroline O'Donnell, second left, and other Bloody Sunday relatives walk towards the Laganside courts complex to hear the verdicts in the Soldier F trial

A PPS spokesperson told BBC News NI: "In April 2024, the PPS took decisions not to prosecute 16 individuals [including 15 soldiers] in relation to allegations of false evidence relating to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

"A request to review these decisions was received by the PPS."

The spokesperson described the process as ongoing, adding the outcome will be issued "in due course".

They said the review was being carried out by a senior PPS lawyer who was not involved in taking the original decisions.

A solicitor representing some of the Bloody Sunday families, Ciarán Shiels, said he did not see any reason why the PPS could not make a decision "by the end of the month".

Referring to Judge Patrick Lynch's Soldier F verdict, in which he said some soldiers had perjured themselves, Mr Shiels added: "A judge said that a witness was serially untruthful to matters central to the enquiries into Bloody Sunday.

"This is something the Public Prosecution Service needs to take fully onboard."

Vigil held at Free Derry Corner

Kate Nash (front right) addresses the crowd at the Bloody Sunday vigil

On Friday night, 200 people gathered at Free Derry Corner, in the Bogside - the area where the events of Bloody Sunday took place.

Kate Nash, whose 19-year-old brother, William, was shot dead and father, Alex, was seriously injured, helped organise the event along with the Bloody Sunday March Committee.

A number of people brought black flags to the demonstration.

Kate Nash told the crowd the not guilty verdicts were expected

Ms Nash told the crowd that the not guilty verdicts, although disappointing, were "entirely expected".

She said the Bloody Sunday families have fought tirelessly and should be commended for their pursuit of truth and justice.

Veteran civil rights campaigner Eammon McCann also addressed the crowd and recalled the horrors of that day and the eerie silence that befell the city in the aftermath.

"You never heard this town quieter," he said.

Damien O'Kane, who attended the vigil, said there was solidarity with the Bloody Sunday families

Mr McCann said despite the outcome yesterday they will continue the fight for those killed and injured that day.

"We will keep going, we have to," he said.

"We have shown that we will not let this go away."

One of those at the vigil, Damien O'Kane, said nobody was shocked at the judge's verdict and that there was solidarity with the families.

What have other Bloody Sunday families said?

John Kelly, whose brother Michael was killed in Bloody Sunday, said they had entered the courthouse in Belfast with hope in their hearts but left disappointed.

"It was the evidence that let us down," he said. "It was the evidence of two of his (Soldier F's) mates whose statements were used against him to prosecute him.

"Not forgetting also that when the campaign started, we had three demands: the repudiation of Widgery, we achieved that; full declaration of innocence, we achieved that; and the third was a prosecution - we achieved the three demands, so it was a victory for us to even get him into the court."

The family James Wray, including brother Liam (centre) watch TV as the not guilty verdicts come through

James Wray's brother Liam said on Thursday he was not surprised by the verdict but glad that the victims of Bloody Sunday were "again declared as innocent".

He welcomed the critical comments of the judge in relation to the Parachute Regiment's actions in the Bogside.

He said it was a "tough and emotional day" for the Wray family, who did not attend the trial, but at the heart of it all was the loss of James, who he described as "a lovely son and brother".

Tony Doherty spoke outside court on Thursday

Tony Doherty, whose father Patrick was also killed on Bloody Sunday, said the verdict came "as a blow" but that there was a "finality in the outcome of this trial".

Mr Doherty, who is also chair of the Bloody Sunday Trust, said while victims' families "never say never" this could be the "end of the road in terms of the families quests for justice".

He told BBC News NI the trial would not have happened without the "work and sacrifice" of families who campaigned for it.

"We've taken it a long way, we had no choice," he said, adding that he believes the UK government "were never going to move on the issue of truth and justice unless we forced their hand on it".

While the verdict was "disappointing" for families, he said "there was a profound sense of pride in what we have achieved as a group of working class families from Derry".