‘Bloody Sunday’ and the deaths that followed occurred in 1972 when British troopers opened fire on protesters in Northern Ireland.
The Lowdown
In cases of violence known as ‘The Troubles’ there was only ever one man who went on to be prosecuted in the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre in Northern Island. On Monday, that man only identified in court documents as ‘Soldier F’ appeared in court behind a curtain shielded from families of those who died and survived the attack.
According to historical records, 13 people were killed and 15 more were wounded in the massacre. At the time, on 30 Jan 1972 British troopers opened fire on unarmed civil rights protesters in Londonderry.
He formally pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and an additional five counts of attempted murder in what has been historically described as the deadliest shooting that occurred during the conflict between supporters of a United Ireland and those who at the time had sought to remain part of the United Kingdom. The periods of violence formally came to an end with the Good Friday peace accords of 1998.