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1 - 4 OCTOBER 2001
This week, the Tribunal heard evidence about the rubble barricade and Glenfada Park. Hugh Duffy saw Alexander Nash go out to William Nash at the barricade and get shot. Patrick Norris described being stopped by a soldier as he was driving a taxi down William Street and arrested. Matthew Connolly saw John Young shot at the barricade. Frankie Mellon was the student nurse who administered first aid to Hugh Gilmore.
Peter Mullan saw some men attempting to disarm a member of the Official IRA who was carrying a rifle in the area of Columbcille Court/Kells Walk. Father Irwin described his attempts to administer the Last Rites to the three young men in the APC on Rossville Street.
A full transcript of proceedings is available at http://www.bloody-sunday-inquiry.org.uk
1
ALPHONSUS CUNNINGHAM’S EVIDENCE
1.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
TRIBUNAL
1.1.1
Rubble barricade
When the Army came
in, Mr Cunningham ran down Rossville Street to a position south of the rubble
barricade. He said that a group of
3 or 4 youngsters reached the rubble barricade and immediately started to take
rubble off it to throw at the soldiers. There
were people behind the youngsters towards Free Derry Corner.
Mr Cunningham saw a soldier at the northwest of Block 1 who fired more than two rubber bullets in the direction of the barricade. At the time that the soldier fired, stones were being thrown in his direction. He does not now remember a crowd attempting to charge over the barricade at soldiers. He agreed that it could be that the soldier was firing rubber bullets because people were coming over the rubble barricade towards him.
Mr Cunningham saw a boy being arrested. He recalls the soldier dragging the boy away from his direction.
Mr Cunningham noticed a soldier standing in full view in a position front of the Kells Walk pram ramp. The soldier raised his rifle casually to his shoulder and fired a shot in the direction of the rubble barricade. Almost immediately a young lad standing about 4 yards away from Mr Cunningham on the south side of the barricade crumpled face down on the barricade. Mr Cunningham said that immediately before that the lad had been lifting some rubble off the barricade to throw at the soldiers. He said that the soldier’s full body was exposed in front of the wall. This was the first live shot that he heard all day.
Just after he saw
the boy fall, a stocky grey haired man came out from the gable end wall of
Glenfada Park North and moved past him, crouching towards the boy who had
fallen. He had just reached the boy
when the same soldier fired another shot. Mr
Cunningham thinks that the man was going to the same boy that he had seen fall
earlier on.
In his 1972 statement, Mr Cunningham said that he had seen one man at the barricade raise his arm to appeal for time to rescue an injured youth. He said that a soldier had fired two or three shots towards the rescue party. He said that he is not now mistaken in thinking that the man was shot.
1.1.2
Glenfada Park North
Mr Cunningham said whilst he was at the gable end, he heard semi-automatic, high velocity gunfire. He had the impression that the shots were aimed because they were spaced out.
Mr Cunningham got into a flat on the eastern side of Glenfada Park North. He heard a man with a Scottish accent shouting, ‘come on, you Fenian bastards,’ on the Rossville Street side. He said that he heard two or three low velocity shots which came from the area around the Rossville Flats. He said that he immediately thought that some maniac had decided to take on the Army with a pistol.
Mr Cunningham was asked if he thought it was misleading to include a paragraph in his 1972 statement in which he said that ‘no shots were fired towards the Army before or during the incident when the youth was shot.’ He said that at the time, he thought that some maniac had decided to take on the Army and he does not know why he did not include it in his 1972 statement.
1.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
1.2.1
Rubble barricade
Mr Cunningham was shown the photograph of Michael Kelly at the rubble barricade. He agreed that Mr Kelly was not crumpled face down on the rubble barricade or in the location he had placed the boy he had seen shot. He agreed that it does not seem likely that Michael Kelly is the same boy that he referred top as falling face down.
Mr Cunningham said that the man who raised his arm to appeal for time to rescue the injured youth was the same man that he described later as being shot by the same soldier. He cannot remember whether the man was on his own.
1.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
SOLDIERS
1.3.1
Rubble barricade
The soldier fired more than one rubber bullet at the rubble barricade. Mr Cunningham cannot remember whether the soldier was being stoned. He does not remember shooting going on on the Glenfada Park side when the young man was being arrested.
Mr Cunningham did not hear the noise of shooting or explosions of any kind near the rubble barricade before the single soldier fired the live round. He agreed that it is possible there was so much noise and confusion that rubber bullets and live rounds could be fired without noticing. Mr Cunningham remembers a crowd throwing stones from the rubble barricade. They made as if they were going over the top of the barricade.
2
MARTIN HEGARTY
2.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
TRIBUNAL
2.1.1
Gunmen and marches
Mr Hegarty said that after Bloody Sunday there were occasions when gunmen would open fire from behind crowds.
2.1.2
Rossville Flats car park
Mr Hegarty was on the Eden Place waste ground when he heard the shout that the Army were coming in. He knew that his cine camera was of such a size and shape that it could easily be mistaken for a handgun and he out it back in his camera bag quickly.
Mr Hegarty said that a number of shots were fired from behind him as he ran towards the gap between Blocks 1 and 2. They could have been rubber bullets. People were fleeing and taking cover.
2.1.3
Glenfada Park North
Mr Hegarty ran to Glenfada Park. He said that the shooting had intensified and there was a quick succession of shooting of high velocity type weapons. He did not hear anything that could have been shooting from other types of weapons. He heard shooting from inside Glenfada Park courtyard or from behind.
People were saying that soldiers were coming in through the northeast and northwest alleys of Glenfada Park North, shooting their rifles. Mr Hegarty’s main concern was getting out of Glenfada Park.
As he moved out of the cover of the wall, Mr Hegarty saw two soldiers, one was kneeling behind a wall and the other was standing. Both soldiers had rifles. There was commotion in the vicinity.
2.1.4
Old
Bog Road
Mr Hegarty headed south to a house which overlooked a main road. He saw bullets bouncing off the Old Bog Road. The bullets were travelling the length of the road. People in the house were saying that the shots must be coming from the walls.
2.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
2.2.1
Camera
Mr Hegarty said that he had put his camera away because he was afraid that it would be mistaken for a handgun. The camera would have been held like a handgun. It had a handle that could be enclosed with his fist.
2.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
SOLDIERS
2.3.1
Camera
Mr Hegarty put his camera away in his bag because it occurred to him that his safety was in jeopardy.
2.3.2
Glenfada Park/Abbey Park
Mr Hegarty does not remember which gap he saw the soldiers through. He has no recollection of seeing anyone other than the soldiers.
3 HUGH DUFFY’S EVIDENCE
3.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
TRIBUNAL
3.1.1
Rubble barricade
Mr Duffy could see two bodies on the rubble barricade. The young lad who was nearest to him appeared to be actually on the rubble barricade. He could not see the boy’s hands. The second young lad was closer to the Rossville Flats. Mr Duffy said that he now knows this boy to be William Nash. He could not see Mr Nash’s hands either.
Mr Duffy has a clear memory of Alexander Nash wanting to go out to his son, William. Mr Duffy tried to stop him because he could still hear shooting but Mr Nash insisted on going out. Mr Duffy could not tell the difference between Army and IRA fire.
Mr Duffy said that Alexander Nash went out at a time when the shooting was going on. He thinks that Mr Nash may have been waving a handkerchief. Mr Duffy remembers seeing Mr Nash seem to stumble and fall face forwards. He said that Mr Nash got very close to William’s body.
Mr Duffy said that everyone at the Glenfada Park gable end was scared and holding each other back. He heard two shots above his head and looked up at the brickwork. It was chipped about 20 or 30 feet above him.
3.1.2
1972 statement
Mr Duffy has a vague memory of making a statement somewhere in the Creggan. He could not identify his voice on a tape recording.
In 1972, his memory was of bullets hitting the brickwork of the gable before Alexander Nash went out to the barricade. Mr Duffy said that he now cannot say whether this was before or after.
The statement records that he bumped into Alexander Nash’s sister after he left Glenfada Park North and told her that her brother was injured. The next thing that he saw was Gerard McKinney. He also became aware of a young man who had been shot in the leg. He cannot remember where about in the leg the man had been shot or the colour of his hair.
3.1.3
South of the Rossville Flats
Mr Duffy has a memory of seeing the body of a man who was shot in the head close to the canopy of Block 2. He thinks that the body was covered up by the time that he had got there. Mr Duffy thought that it was Patrick Doherty as he helped to lift Mr Doherty’s body off the ground. He agreed that it is possible that he had mixed up the bodies of Patrick Doherty and Bernard McGuigan.
3.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
3.2.1
Casualties
Mr Duffy was told that at least 6 people, some dead and some wounded were taken into 5 different houses in and around the area of Abbey Park. He said that he was aware of a lot of activity in the area. Mr Duffy agreed that the man that he thought had been shot in the leg could have been Joe Mahon who can be seen in the video footage being carried into Abbey Park.
3.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
SOLDIERS
3.3.1
Kells Walk/Columbcille Court/Glenfada
Park
Mr Duffy said that he remembers standing in an alleyway, hammering on the door of a house when a group of 6 to 8 soldiers ran past him from Rossville Street heading west into Columbcille Court and the back of Kells Walk. They were all in one group. He could not say whether they were giving one another cover.
4 FREDERICK CUNNINGHAM’S EVIDENCE
4.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
TRIBUNAL
4.1.1
Rossville Street
Mr Cunningham was at the rubble barricade when he heard a helicopter flying overhead. It occurred to him at the time that the noise sounded like automatic fire.
Mr Cunningham ran away from the rubble barricade. When the shooting began the people laid down on the ground as one. He must have run and dropped down three times before he reached Free Derry Corner.
As he was running towards Free Derry Corner he heard bullets pinging off the wall in Rossville Street adjacent to the Joseph Place maisonettes. While at Free Derry Corner he heard a shot hit one of the gable walls at St Columbs Wells.
Mr Cunningham said that about two weeks after Bloody Sunday he put on the suit that he had worn on the day. There were two holes on the inside leg of his trousers. The holes were at the same level. Mr Cunningham could not say whether a bullet had caused them. He did not suffer any injury.
5 PATRICK NORRIS’S EVIDENCE
5.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
TRIBUNAL
5.1.1
Arrest
Mr Norris was a taxi driver for Foyle Taxis. He said that he was on his way to pick up a fare in Glenfada Park when he was stopped in William Street. As he drove down William Street he was not aware of any other army vehicles or soldiers. An army vehicle came towards him. Mr Norris was made to get out of the taxi, was searched, arrested and made to get back into the taxi.
Mr Norris said that the soldier got in the passenger seat and there were three other people in the back of the car. He did not see where the three people had come from and did not have any conversation with them. He was made to drive up Lower Road, along Great James Street, down Little James Street to the junction of William Street and Rossville Street. Mr Norris was then made to get out of the taxi, was put into an Army truck and was taken to Fort George.
Mr Norris made an official complaint in 1972 about his property being taken off him and never returned. In that complaint, which he made after his release, he recorded his time of arrest at around 4:00pm.
5.1.2
Fort George
Mr Norris was ran into a warehouse building. As he ran soldiers taunted and prodded him with the sharp end of guns. One caught his little finger and caused a deep cut.
Mr Norris said that nobody told him what he had been arrested for. On his arrest form Soldier F said that he had seen Mr Norris throwing stones in William Street. Mr Norris said that he had been driving a taxi at the time that he was arrested.
5.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
5.2.1
Arrest
Mr Norris said that he was not stopped until he reached William Street. He was asked about the evidence of Michael McCallion who said that he had got into a taxi and was then stopped. Mr Norris said that he was on his own when he was stopped.
Mr Norris was asked about the evidence of Charles Glenn. Mr Glenn said that he was put in a taxi that had been stopped by soldiers and driven at gunpoint around in a circuitous route before being put in a 4 tonne truck. Mr Norris said that he did not see who was in the back seat of the car. The soldier on his left had a gun at his side and he was that nervous he did not even look in the mirror.
5.2.2
Army radio logs
Mr Norris was shown some of the Army radio logs. At 4:35pm there is a communication between ‘A’ company going to HQ of the Paras which reported a taxi on its way to pick up two bodies. Mr Norris said that this did not make sense to him. He did not give anyone an account that he had been going to pick up bodies.
Mr Norris remembers Mrs Breen (the owner of the taxi firm) hailing him from the side of the road to find out what was going on when he was in Great James Street. Mr Norris was shown a transcript of an intercepted telephone conversation which showed that Mrs Breen phoned to find out what was going on. The information passed through was that the taxi driver was going to collect the wounded from Rossville Street. Mr Norris said that he did not know that there had been any shooting at the time that he was stopped.
5.2.3
Soldier F
After a query by Mr Mansfield on behalf of some of the families and wounded, Mr Glasgow said that he was not suggesting that Mr Norris was a rioter (which is recorded as the reason for his arrest by Soldier F).
5.3
FURTHER QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
5.3.1
Foyle Taxis
Mr Norris cannot remember if his taxi was a maroon coloured Morris Oxford. Foyle Taxis did have this make of car.
6
MATTHEW CONNOLLY’S EVIDENCE
6.1 QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
6.1.1
John Young
Mr Connolly was recruited as a steward with his friend John McKeever. Mr McKeever worked with John Young in the tailors shop. Mr Connolly met Mr Young for the first time as he was trying to get people to turn south down Rossville Street.
6.1.2
Rubble barricade
Mr Connolly said he moved behind the rubble barricade. There were about 10 or 15 people there at that time. He could only hear rubber bullets being fired. People were throwing stones but there was nothing close enough to be hit by the stones.
As Mr Connolly was standing at the barricade a small boy in front of him jumped and screamed as if shot. Mr Connolly had not heard a specific shot. He agreed that this could have been Michael Kelly. He vaguely remembers the body being carried away.
Mr Connolly noticed an APC parked near to Kells Walk with the back doors open. There were soldiers by the Kells Walk wall who were aiming their rifles down Rossville Street. Mr Connolly heard a volley of automatic shots. They were single shots in quick succession. He got the impression that they were very close to him. He said that most people were lying or crouching at the rubble barricade. There were only 4 or 5 lying with him behind the barricade. After the shots, they all ran to the gable end wall of Glenfada Park North. Mr Connolly saw John Young there. He had not seen Mr Young at the rubble barricade.
Mr Connolly saw two men go out to the rubble barricade and realised that one of them was John Young. He said that John Young was shot in the head and fell. Mr Young did not have anything in his hands and Mr Connolly does not think that he was waving a hanky.
A second man behind John Young seemed to stumble. He had nothing in his hands that looked like a weapon. Someone blocked Mr Connolly’s view and he did not see the man again. He assumed that the man had been shot.
Mr Connolly said that both John Young and the second man fell close to or on the pavement on the Glenfada Park side of Rossville Street. At the time that he heard the shot that hit Mr Young there was no shooting going on.
6.1.3
Sunday Times notes
In his Sunday Time interview Mr Connolly said that John Young had been crawling to William Nash when he was shot. He said that Mr Young had been wearing a combat hat. He said that the second man was shot in the shoulder and either stumbled back towards Glenfada Park North or was carried back. Mr Connolly was told that Michael McDaid was shot in the shoulder at the barricade but had stayed there until he was put inside an APC. He agreed that he may have got Michael Kelly and Michael McDaid mixed up.
6.1.4
Abbey Park
Mr Connolly said that he saw two boys on the ground in front of him. One was kneeling but nearby the second boy who was lying on his back on the ground. The boy looked about 14 and was very pale. Mr Connolly thinks that it may have been Gerard Donaghy. The boy was picked up. He was bleeding from his back and was taken towards a house in Abbey Park.
Mr Connolly was aware of 3 soldiers further north in the alleyway who were all pointing guns down the alley towards him and the other people there. He did not see them shoot.
Then Mr Connolly heard heavy, sustained shooting. He sheltered at a gable wall and came out again and saw a body further north in the alleyway between Abbey Park and Glenfada Park North. It was the body of a man who was in his mid 40s and was being treated for a heart attack. Medics arrived and tried to resuscitate him.
6.1.5
The Observer galley proofs
Mr Connolly does not recall speaking to someone from the Observer. The notes record him as having seen someone shot in the thigh on the rubble barricade. Mr Connolly has no recollection of seeing someone shot in the thigh.
6.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
6.2.1
Rubble barricade
Mr Connolly agreed that over the years, names of the deceased have been supplied to him. The only person whose name he knew on Bloody Sunday and who he saw shot and killed was John Young. He agreed that he saw the person who was shot first at the rubble barricade.
He agreed that it is possible that he saw Michael Kelly shot then took shelter whilst Mr Kelly’s body was removed. In the meantime, William Nash had been shot and John Young went out to him which had led Mr Connolly to confuse William Nash with Michael Kelly.
6.2.2
Glenfada Park North
Mr Connolly agreed it is possible that he assumed the person he had seen shot in the shoulder was carried towards the southwest alley of Glenfada Park North.
6.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
6.3.1
Rossville Street
Mr Connolly remembers one or two APCs turning into the waste ground. He said that there was some rioting going on at this stage. He said that there was a lot of noise in the area. Rubber bullets were being fired and he did not hear any other shots. He said that it was possible that there was so much going on that he could possibly have missed hearing a live round.
Mr Connolly did not think that the people at the rubble barricade were throwing anything other than stones. He would not have missed any explosions. He did not see any guns being handled by civilians.
7
GEORGE ROBERTS EVIDENCE
7.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
7.1.1
Rubble barricade
Mr Roberts was with 15 to 20 people at the rubble barricade throwing stones at the Army. There was no one at the rubble barricade with the weapons. Shooting then started from the soldiers to the north of him. At the time he thought it was rubber bullets. All of a sudden, a young man who was standing next to him, fell. The young man had an injury just under his eye. He was not wearing a hat.
Mr Roberts said that were definitely no weapons behind the rubble barricade. Mr Roberts crawled towards the gable end of Glenfada Park North. He and Tony McGilloway sheltered behind a car in Glenfada Park North. Shortly afterwards the paras arrived. Mr Roberts remembers the soldiers saying ‘move and you are dead.’ Mr Roberts was arrested and taken to Fort George.
7.1.2 Fort
George
Mr Roberts was thrown out of the lorry and had to run a gauntlet. He was in a large room for hours with Paras.
7.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
7.2.1
Rubble barricade
Mr Roberts said that the only person that he saw shot was the young man with blood coming out of his eye. He agreed that it is possible that because of the shock he was in, he missed a considerable number of events that went on before the person who was shot in the eye.
7.2.2
Arrest and Fort George
Mr Roberts agreed that the soldier he is photographed with is likely to be the soldier who picked him out at Fort George. He was told that the soldier was INQ 23 who is called David Longstaff and has not asked the Tribunal for anonymity. Mr Roberts agreed that it is possible that he had got the name of the soldier wrong.
Mr Roberts said that the soldiers tried to make him sing ‘the Sash’ or ‘God Save the Queen.’ When Mr Roberts would not sing, the soldier spat into his mouth. A soldier dived at and punched a boy who had looked at him. A soldier said ‘we missed you bastard you. We did not shoot you. You were lucky. You were lucky we were a bad shot. Once we come into the Creggan we will get you.’
7.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
7.3.1 1972
statement and Keville tape recording
Mr Roberts agreed that there were words on the transcript of the Keville tapes that do not match his 1972 statement. He said that he had listened to the tape and had problems understanding parts of it.
7.3.2
Arrest
Mr Roberts said that he does not deny throwing stones. He could not say whether the soldier who had arrested him had seen him throwing stones.
8
JOHN BONNERS EVIDENCE
8.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
8.1.1
Glenfada Park North
Mr Bonner could see soldiers jumping out of the APCs whilst they were slowing up. They started shooting. He could not tell the difference between the sound of a rubber bullet and a live shot.
8.1.2
Lisfannon Park
Mr Bonner crossed the Old Bog Road to Lisfannon Park. He sheltered at a wall with a much larger man. He could see a body lying near Abbey Park. Both he and the larger man wanted to get over to help the person. Bullets were hitting the tarmac of the Old Bog Road preventing him from crossing the road.
It was about 10 minutes before the shooting stopped. Mr Bonner and the larger man waved white handkerchiefs. When he ran across the road to the body lying in Abbey Park he could not hear any more shooting.
9
FRANKIE MELLON’S EVIDENCE
9.1 QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
9.1.1
Rossville Street
Mr Mellon was not
on the march. He had come into
Rossville Street before the Army entered the Bogside.
He walked down Rossville Street and saw army vehicles on the waste ground
and soldiers at the top end of Rossville Street.
As he approached
the rubble barricade, Mr Mellon saw a crowd of 20 to 30 people throwing stones
towards the soldiers. He thought
that the stone throwing was an empty protest.
As Mr Mellon got within range of the stone throwers, he put his hand up
to indicate he was one of them. He
said that the only person he recognised in the crowd throwing stones was Hugh
Gilmore.
Mr Mellon saw Mr
Gilmore run north, throw a stone and then turn to run back past him.
Mr Gilmore did not have any weapon in his hand.
There were no weapons at the rubble barricade. All Mr Mellon saw was
stones.
Mr Mellon said that
he thinks both he and Mr Gilmore were south of the rubble barricade when he
heard the engines of the Army vehicles behind him. They both started running towards Free Derry Corner.
Just as Mr Mellon
reached the rubble barricade, he heard two high velocity shots which came from
the Kells Walk side. Mr Gilmore was
running fast, directly in front of him, looking straight ahead.
The second shot hit him and as it did he jumped up with force, grasping
his right side and said ‘I have been hit.’
Mr Mellon does not
remember the doors to Block 1 being open. He
helped Mr Gilmore around the south end of Block 1.
9.1.2
South of Block 1
Mr Mellon
administered first aid to Mr Gilmore. A
man he now knows to be Bernard McGuigan was one of those in the crowd on the
south end of Block 1. He was facing
away from the telephone box towards Glenfada Park and said ‘tell them to stop
shooting, we are unarmed.’ He
shook a white handkerchief. Mr
Mellon said that during this time, there was shooting and he felt that it was
coming from the north towards the rubble barricade.
He said that he was preoccupied and it took him a few minutes to realise
the extent of the shooting.
Mr Mellon did not
see Mr McGuigan get shot. The only
time that he knew he had been shot was when he left the body of Hugh Gilmore and
went to beside the telephone box. It
was less than a few minutes between the shooting of Hugh Gilmore and when he saw
the body of Mr McGuigan.
Mr Mellon sheltered
at the telephone box with about 15 to 20 other people.
He does not have a recollection of 2 shots hitting the wall above him.
While he was at the telephone box, Mr Mellon remembers hearing an injured
man shouting. The man was moving as
he lay and was screaming about his leg. This
was after he had seen Mr McGuigan’s body.
9.1.3
Glenfada Park
Mr Mellon was still
on the south of Block 1 when he looked towards Glenfada Park and saw a man
running. There was a soldier down
on one knee screaming at the man to stop. Mr
Mellon saw the man shot in the back. He
clutched his stomach and a chunk came out of the wall in front of him.
9.1.4
Rossville Flats car park
Mr Mellon had a
conversation with Sean McDermott about trying to get away.
He moved away from the telephone box and went through the gap between
Blocks 1 and 2 towards the car park. There
were army vehicles in the car park. He
panicked and came back through the alleyway.
As he ran, two shots hit the wall in front of him.
9.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
9.2.1
Patrick Campbell
Mr Mellon agreed
that the account of Patrick Campbell’s shooting sounded similar to the account
he had given of the man shot in the leg.
9.2.2
Bernard McGuigan
Mr Mellon said he
had the impression that Bernard McGuigan was shouting at the soldiers on the
Rossville Street side of the rubble barricade not to shoot.
9.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
SOLDIERS
9.3.1
Rossville Street
Mr Mellon said he
recalls going through a cordon of soldiers as he made his way to Rossville
Street. He does not think that he
walked to Free Derry Corner and then north back up Rossville Street to the
rubble barricade.
10
JAMES McNULTY’S EVIDENCE
10.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
TRIBUNAL
10.1.1 Glenfada Park North
Mr McNulty sheltered at the gable end of Glenfada Park North with 30 or 40 other people. He heard live fire and the shooting became heavier. There was no pattern to the firing. It was single shots. Mr McNulty ran further into Glenfada Park towards Abbey Park.
Mr McNulty said that there were three men running in front of him. The three fell down separately but quickly one after the other and almost at the same time. He thought that the shots were from the inside of Glenfada Park. He thought the men had been shot because they did not move.
Mr McNulty saw soldiers coming into the northeast entrance of Glenfada Park. He remembers bullets ricocheting off the wall and then looking towards the rubble barricade. He could see a person crawling from the rubble barricade to the doors of Block 1 of the Rossville Flats.
Mr McNulty was arrested at the gable end. He remembers seeing a soldier going up to a body and shooting it to make sure the person was dead. This happened whilst he was being arrested and he cannot recall whether the body was on the rubble barricade or in Glenfada Park. He did not think that the soldier was firing a rubber bullet. In a separate incident, he thinks that he saw a soldier fire a rubber bullet at someone on the ground when there was an APC in the area.
10.1.2
1972 statement
Mr McNulty described seeing a soldier shoot a man in the leg with a rubber bullet from about 2 yards. He said that this happened when they were being arrested.
10.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
10.2.1 Glenfada
Park North
Soldier E’s statement said that there was a full-scale riot in Glenfada Park North when he arrived there. Mr McNulty did not see any rioting. He did not hear any nail bombs exploding or see any weapons or anything that would pose a risk to the soldiers.
Soldier H’s statement said that after he had shot someone with a nail bomb he saw a person retrieved the nail bomb from an alleyway. Mr McNulty did not see this.
Mr McNulty was very frightened when he heard the heavy shooting. He decided to make a dash but he saw the men fall and stopped near a car. He ran back to the shelter of the gable end.
10.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
10.3.1
Glenfada Park North
Mr McNulty saw George Roberts at the gable end for the first time. Mr McNulty was not on the rubble barricade.
Mr McNulty said he saw 4 other people wounded at the telephone box on the south of Block 1 of the Rossville Flats.
Mr Peter Clarke put Michael Quinn’s statement to Mr McNulty. Mr McNulty said that he did not see anyone throwing nail bombs at the army. There were people in the car park when the soldier arrived.
Mr Peter Clarke suggested that when the three men fell they were surrounded by many people. Mr McNulty said that he thought everyone was behind the gable and just remembered the three men.
11
PAUL COYLE’S EVIDENCE
11.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
11.1.1
Kevin McElhinney
Mr Coyle met Kevin McElhinney at the Creggan roundabout. He said that Mr McElhinney was carrying a paint bomb which was a lemonade bottle filled with white paint. He said that it was not an explosive device but its purpose was to splash the clothes of soldiers standing in the vicinity where it landed. Mr Coyle recalls Mr McElhinney saying that he wanted to make his mark on an APC.
Mr Coyle did not see Kevin McElhinney after the beginning of the march.
11.1.2
Rubble barricade
Mr Coyle heard the APCs and ran through Columbcille Court to the gable end of Glenfada Park North. He could see 6 to 12 boys on either side of the rubble barricade. He said that it is possible that they were throwing stones. Within the space of a couple of minutes of arriving at the gable end he heard a hail of SLR bullets. He could see the bullets striking the rubble barricade.
Mr Coyle saw a boy who had been gesticulating at the soldiers, dive for cover. He did not recognise him at the time but later learned that it may have been William Nash.
After he had seen William Nash, Mr Coyle was pulled tight into the gable wall and could not see any more of the rubble barricade. Mr Coyle could see a man crawling towards the door to Block 1. The man was not carrying anything in his hands. He later learned that it was Kevin McElhinney. Mr Coyle did not see anybody running to the door of Block 1.
Mr Coyle watched Alexander Nash go out to the rubble barricade, waving a white handkerchief. He was shot and fell to the ground. Mr Coyle could see about half a dozen people lying at the rubble barricade. They might just have been taking cover. He does not recall any bodies being carried into Glenfada Park North.
11.1.3
Glenfada Park North
Mr Coyle said that a number of men ran from the gable to the southwest exit and he ran with them. As he ran, he looked to his right and saw two paras coming into Glenfada Park North. The two soldiers stood side by side and began firing their weapons from the hip.
Mr Coyle ran as fast as he could to the southwest exit. He did not hear soldiers shouting any warnings. There was nothing that could have been mistaken for a weapon. He was not aware of anyone who looked as if they were getting ready to engage the Army.
Mr Coyle met Evelyn Lafferty who was wearing a white coat and running in the opposite direction into the courtyard.
11.1.4
Abbey Park
Mr Coyle saw a man being supported by two others. He looked like he had a gunshot in the centre of his chest. He was a tall man in his 20s.
Mr Coyle saw another man who was holding something to his face which was red with blood. He thinks that it may have been in Abbey Park towards the Old Bog Road.
11.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
11.2.1
Glenfada Park North
Mr Coyle ran in a beeline from the gable end across to the southwest alleyway. There were two or three people in front of him and there could have been people behind him. He looked to his right and saw two soldiers. He has no recollection of any people to his right other than two soldiers.
There was not a full-scale riot in Glenfada Park or a crowd of people.
11.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
11.3.1 Paint bombs
Mr Coyle did not see any one with a cut off billiard cue on the march. He had not seen acid in lemonade bottles.
11.3.2 Glenfada
Park North
Mr Coyle said that he saw William Nash falling. He did not know whether he had been shot. He recalls Alex Nash being shot before he got to his son. He does not recall Mr Nash taking his son in his arms.
Mr Coyle has no memory of Michael Kelly being carried across the car park. Mr Peter Clarke said that people have said that the soldiers entering Glenfada Park North caused them to drop Michael Kelly’s body. He pointed to a photograph of the scene as Mr Kelly is carried over the courtyard and suggested that William Nash was still alive when the photograph was taken. He asked Mr Coyle how he could have seen William Nash shot dead at the barricade and then seen the two soldiers enter the courtyard. Mr Coyle said that when he left the gable end and looked to his right, there was nobody in Glenfada Park except the two soldiers. He does not remember colliding with people coming southwards having dropped Mr Kelly’s body.
Mr Coyle said he did not see anything leave the muzzle of the two soldiers’ weapons. He said that they started firing at him.
11.3.3
Columbcille Court
Mr Coyle said that he was at Mrs Shiels’ house for seconds to minutes. He saw an argument with a camera crew. He did not see anyone carrying a gun or having an argument with a man carrying a gun.
12
OLIVER GREEN’S EVIDENCE
Mr Green was eight years old on Bloody Sunday.
12.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
12.1.1
Glenfada Park North
Mr Green was hiding with his friend Gary English alongside two bins in a back yard of a house on the south side of Glenfada Park North. He said that he could hear roaring and screaming and shots being fired. He saw three or four soldiers.
His best recollection is that there was shooting within the vicinity of the car park. He was looking through the slats in the fence. He could hear English accents shouting. He could not say whether they all had rifles.
He did not see any soldiers shoot in Glenfada Park North. He was crouching underneath the kitchen window and was approximately six feet away from the actual fence. He was not conscious of people at the gable end of Glenfada Park North.
He heard a woman saying that someone had been hit. He was aware of people at different times running past the back yard.
Mr Green heard three shots that had no ring to them. They did not sound like they had struck masonry. He thought that the impact was a couple of yards further east towards the southeast entrance of Glenfada Park North.
Mr Green was told about Soldier H’s evidence. Soldier H said that a rifle muzzle was sticking out of a frosted window on the ground floor of the south of Glenfada Park. He said that he fired 19 shots at a silhouette that he could see behind the window. Mr Green has no recollection of shots coming from behind him. He cannot recall hearing glass smashing.
12.1.2
Graffiti
Mr Green said that the day after Bloody Sunday he went to William Street and saw some graffiti on the wooden porch of a building in William Street. He said that the message said,
‘Ha, ha, ha, hee, hee, hee, we have got 13 more than you – 1 Para.’
He was shown a photograph taken of graffiti on the shutters of the chemist shop in William Street which read,
‘Paras were here and they fucking hammered fuck out of you.’ Mr Green said that the graffiti he saw was similar in nature.
12.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
12.2.1
Graffiti
Mr Green agreed that whoever had written the graffiti would have had to have been in William Street and would have known that there were 13 dead at the time that he wrote it.
12.2.2
Glenfada Park North
Mr Green said he had the impression the 3 shots were close to him and to his right hand side. He was asked whether he knew the term ‘cognitive interviewing.’
13
JOHN McCOURT’S EVIDENCE
13.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
13.1.1
Rossville Street
Mr McCourt said that a soldier fired a rubber bullet gun at him. He was not moving towards the soldier. He was not doing anything to justify the shot being fired at him.
13.1.2
Glenfada Park North
Mr McCourt ran towards his wife’s grandmother’s house in Glenfada Park North. He heard shots but had his back to where the shots were coming from. He could hear people shouting ‘do not shoot, lie down.’ Mr McCourt went into a yard on the western side of Glenfada Park North. He lay behind the fence and called to people to lie down and stay still.
13.1.3
Abbey Park
Mr McCourt went inside to speak to his wife. She was in the living room which overlooked Abbey Park. He looked outside and saw a body he believed to be Gerard McKinney.
13.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
13.2.1
Glenfada Park North
Mr McCourt spent about 10 minutes in the yard before going inside the house. He said there was shooting through most of the period that he was in the yard. It was individual shots.
He recalls two images from the time that he was in the yard. Firstly a soldier in the northeast corner in a kneeling position pointing his gun towards the southeast corner. Secondly of soldiers at the south east corner and people with their hands up against the wall.
13.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
13.3.1
Rossville Street
Mr McCourt was struck by a rubber bullet which had ricocheted off something. He said that the soldier fired at him and the rubber bullet hit a low wall, bounced off it and hit him. The soldier had aimed in his direction.
13.3.2
Glenfada Park
Mr McCourt said that he is quite certain he did not make the 1972 tape-recorded statement. He does not think it is possible that he saw a civilian who was shot in the head and has blanked it out. He did not see any nail bombs. He agreed that it is possible that there could have been cars moving or people handing things out that he simply did not see.
14
PETER MULLAN’S EVIDENCE
14.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
14.1.1
Marches
Mr Mullan was a member of the Derry Labour Party and had been closely involved in previous marches. He said that marches had become less well organised through 1970 and 1971. He said that violence had become more and more frequent and those who were looking to a continued political non-violent approach were losing influence. He was referring to the general level of violence and the way that the atmosphere was becoming much more violent and extreme.
He said that on the marches, stone throwing and to a lesser extent petrol bombs had become more frequent. He had no personal experience of gunmen using marches as cover. He had heard people talk about gunmen using civil protests as cover.
14.1.2
South side of William Street
Mr Mullan heard the crack of a rifle and saw a youth fall. He assumed the youth had been throwing stones although there was nothing in his hands as he fell. He recalls a few scattered people in the area. He had not heard anything which sounded like an explosion.
Mr Mullan continued towards Columbcille Court and heard the news that a second man had been shot.
14.1.3
Columbcille Court
Mr Mullan saw the fracas between a BBC camera crew and people. Those hostile to the media attempted to punch them, but others, including Mr Mullan, got in between and there were a few blows between those who were arguing.
14.1.4
Civilian gunman
Mr Mullan saw a man with a rifle moving across Kells Walk/north side of Columbcille Court towards William Street. He would not like to say precisely where the man was going. Mr Mullan could hear somebody saying something like ‘clear out, somebody is going to have a go.’ He saw the man with the rifle having an angry argument with 2 or 3 other men and being restrained by those men. A number of other people moved to support these men. The man’s coat was covering the rifle. People were telling him there was to be no firing and no guns and to hand over the rifle. It was Mr Mullan’s strong impression that the people were trying to prevent him from starting to shoot. He did not have the impression that the man had shot already. Mr Mullan recognised the man as OIRA 1 (a member of the Official IRA who has been granted anonymity). Just as the rifle appeared to be taken off the man, Mr Mullan’s attention was diverted by lots of shouting and running.
Mr Mullan thinks that he recognised one of the people in the group trying to disarm OIRA 1. He wrote the man’s name down for the Tribunal and agreed that he was somebody on the Provisional wing.
14.1.5
Sunday Times archive
Mr Mullan was shown a document from the Sunday Times archive. Mr Clarke explained that it purports to be notes of an interview with OIRA 1. There is an issue whether OIRA 1 spoke to the Sunday Times and whether the notes are accurate. The document gives an account of OIRA 1 having shot at soldiers from an area fronted by white slatted planks in Columbcille Court. It states that after he has fired, he is tackled either on the stairwell or at the entrance by 3 Provisionals and after the exchange of some obscenities, it is agreed that he will not fire again.
14.2.1
Civilian gunman
Mr Mullan saw a confrontation between initially 3 people and then others joined them. He did not see Father Bradley anywhere in that scene.
14.2.2
Frederick Street
By the time Mr Mullan was shot at, there had already been shooting in the Rossville Street area. Mr Mullan could not give a time for when this happened. He agreed that it was an early stage in the general shooting. He saw people at Free Derry Corner scrambling for safety just immediately before he was shot at. (Father Mulvey put the incident at 4:15pm which Lord Gifford said is about 5 minutes after the Army had entered.)
14.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
14.3.1
Civilian gunmen
Mr Mullan said that there were a few people around the area that he saw the civilian gunman. When he heard someone say ‘get clear, there is someone here wants to get into action,’ he had the impression that it was a warning that there was going to be trouble.
Mr Mullan agreed that there would not have been any civilians in the area who would have been unsympathetic to the march.
14.3.2
Columbcille Court
Mr Mullan did not see the camera crew fleeing. He did not see any shooting from the wooden slatted fronts to the Columbcille Court building. He agreed that it is possible that there was sufficient noise and confusion that even a live round might have been concealed. He said that if the rifle was shot 10 feet from him it would be odd that he would not have heard it.
Mr Mullan agreed that any bursts of firing that Dr McClean heard whilst he was treating patients would have been after he had left the area. Mr Mullan did not hear any pistol fire. He agreed that it is possible that he saw the gunman at the back of Columbcille Court.
15 FATHER JOHN IRWIN’S EVIDENCE
15.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
TRIBUNAL
15.1.1 Parochial
house
Father Irwin was in the parochial house with Father O’Doherty and Father Kilpatrick. He heard the sound of 2 live rounds and after a while another blather of shots. At about 4:15pm he received a phone call asking him to ‘come quick, there has been shooting.’ He and Father O’Doherty ran out of the parochial house in the direction of the Bogside.
Father Irwin went into two houses and administered the Last Rites to two men. He saw another wounded man who was lying out in the street.
15.1.2 Block
1 Rossville Flats
Father Irwin walked across the road towards the Rossville Flats. He anointed Barney McGuigan and another body by the gable end.
Somebody shouted that there was a body inside the flats. Father Irwin went to the first landing. There were people around the body of a young man. Father Irwin said that the man was dead. He anointed the body and was then called to another flat.
Father Irwin was approached by an extremely distressed woman who said that there were three bodies in an APC. She took Father Irwin to the window of her flat and pointed to an APC. He thinks that the APC was facing Free Derry Corner.
15.1.3 APC
on Rossville Street
Father Irwin ran down the stairs and out of the northern entrance of Block 1. There was a soldier with a rifle guarding the vehicle. He was not more than 25 years old and appeared to be extremely confused. Father Irwin said that he believed there were three bodies in the APC and asked him who was in charge. A second soldier stepped forward and told Father Irwin that there were no bodies in the APC. Father Irwin went back to the woman and told her that she was wrong. She told him that there were definitely 3 bodies in the APC.
Father Irwin went back to the APC and reported this to the soldier guarding the APC. The doors were not completely shut. The second soldier told him that he was not allowed to open the door. He said that he would open it. He remembered the second soldier saying something to the effect that he would be shot or arrested.
Father Irwin saw Father Mulvey and shouted to him about the bodies and the soldier’s threat to shoot him. He said that Father Mulvey shouted back ‘they will have to shoot us both.’ The two priests made their way to the door and the soldiers standing guard moved aside. Father Irwin and Father Mulvey got into the APCs and anointed the bodies.
After he had anointed the bodies, Father Irwin said he got out of the APC angry and said to the second soldier ‘you lied about there being bodies in the vehicle’ and the soldier just smirked back. He now has no recollection of a Knight of Malta officer running towards the APC and a soldier slamming the door.
15.1.4 Sunday
Independent
The reference in the Sunday Independent article to Michael McDaid having been seen being arrested, jumping out and running and then getting shot did not come from Father Irwin.
15.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILIES AND WOUNDED
15.2.1 APC
on Rossville Street
Father Irwin said that he went to the APC that the lady had pointed to. He was not aware of any other vehicles around when he went to the APC.
Father Irwin said that when he saw someone who was seriously injured it was his primary duty to administer the Last Rites.
15.2.2
Morgue
Father Irwin was at the morgue when the bodies of John Young, William Nash and Michael McDaid were in. It was 6:15pm when the three bodies were brought in. He asked Dr McClean or Dr McCabe to note the time because it appeared to be a long time for those bodies to travel from Rossville Street to the morgue. When he arrived at the hospital there were only nine bodies there. He knew that the body of Michael McDaid was missing because he recognised him in the APC when he had anointed him.
15.3
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
15.3.1 Priests’
meeting
Father Irwin said that he was not present at a meeting held by the priests on the Monday following Bloody Sunday. He said that he was not aware of any ‘policy decision’ made about the evidence that was going to be given over by the priests. Mr Peter Clarke said that Father Bradley said that the clergy decided to tell the story about Father O’Gara’s gunman because they had seen it and it would not put other people in an exposed position. Father Irwin said that he was not aware of this.
15.3.2 APC
on Rossville Street
Father Irwin lifted the two bodies so that Father Mulvey could anoint the third body. It was difficult and distressing task and very cramped. Both hands were needed. He was not aware of Father Mulvey waving his handkerchief after they had anointed the bodies. Mr Peter Clarke suggested that the photograph of Father Irwin and Father Mulvey near the APC was taken before they had anointed the bodies.
The Knight of Malta, Bernard Feeney, was with Father Irwin. He could not say whether Mr Feeney was specifically attending to the sick. He agreed that if there had been the slightest sign of life in the three youths he would have referred it to the Knight of Malta immediately.
15.3.3 Hospitals
Father Irwin said that he had a feeling that the injured man was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital.
15.3.4 Morgue
Father Irwin
witnessed the same three bodies being carried to the morgue.
He agreed that, on this occasion, there was nothing that he regarded as
disrespectful to those three bodies in the soldiers’ behaviour.
15.3.5
Sunday Independent
Father Irwin said
that he did not say that CS gas was fired into the APC or that when he went into
it there was a pungent smell of gas.
16 DANIEL (DONAL) MORAN’S EVIDENCE
16.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
16.1.1 Confrontation
Mr Moran said that he went to the march with 4 or 5 of his friends. He said that they wanted to go prepared for a confrontation. They took clubs concealed under their coats. Mr Moran wrote down the names of his friends for the Tribunal. He said that he had a snooker cue and his friends had hard bits of wood and batons. He denied that they were looking for confrontation.
Mr Moran agreed that he was probably looking for violent confrontation with the Army. Neither he nor any of his friends had any nail bombs, weapons or missiles. He had been involved in riots in the past where petrol bombs had been thrown.
Mr Moran met Michael McDaid on William Street. Mr McDaid did not have a weapon.
16.1.2
Barrier 14
Mr Moran met Jim O’Mahoney at one of the barriers. He said that Mr O’Mahoney was probably present while the rioting was going on at the barrier. The Army shot the water cannon and made him move back. A ferrat car came shooting past.
16.1.3
Kells Walk/Glenfada Park North
Mr Moran was at the north end of Kells Walk when he heard live fire. He said that he went into Glenfada Park North. There were people crouching and hiding behind garden walls. Soldiers came in from the back of Kells Walk.
Mr Moran saw three bodies lying on the rubble barricade. The man in the middle was lying on his back and had his arm in the air. The other two bodies were motionless.
Mr Moran did not see soldiers in Rossville Street as he looked out onto the rubble barricade. There were soldiers coming into Glenfada Park to arrest people so he moved off.
Mr Moran does not remember running down Rossville Street with Jim O’Mahoney.
16.1.4
Casualties
Mr Moran said that there were Knights of Malta giving First Aid outside Vinny Coyle’s house. He did not go inside the house.
Mr Moran said that people who were injured in riots would be taken to a First Aid Post behind the Bogside Inn. A lot of people would ask to go to Letterkenny Hospital.
16.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
16.2.1
Rioting
Mr Moran said that he had been a seasoned rioter in 1969 but not at a later date. He agreed that there had been lots of petrol bombs at the Battle of the Bogside. He agreed it would be negligent of the soldiers or policemen not to half expect petrol bombs.
Mr Moran went to the march prepared for hand-to-hand combat. He did not refer to himself as a hooligan. He wanted to show his dissatisfaction with the regime. He anticipated there might be hand-to-hand combat because of the previous week at Magilligan.
Mr Moran had seen paint bombs on previous occasions. He had no knowledge of paint mixed with acid. The only thing used with paint was sugar in order to make the paint stick to the windows of the Army vehicles.
16.2.2
Kells Walk/Glenfada Park
Mr Moran said that he was not seeking confrontation as everyone was running away. It was not the same as Magilligan because he had heard high velocity fire.
Mr Moran agreed that he had gone to the march ‘tooled up’ but he said that it was not to deal with heavy vehicles. He would not confront the soldiers in those circumstances. He denied confronting the soldiers. He said that he was ‘up for it’ in William Street but once the Army moved in he moved off.
16.2.3 1972
statement
Mr Moran denied not mentioning the First Aid post in his 1972 statement because of not wanting to indicate that posts associated with the IRA were operative on the day. He said that it was a house rather than a First Aid Post.
Mr Moran did not see Mickey Doherty at Vinny Coyle’s house.
17 PATRICK McLAUGHLIN’S EVIDENCE
17.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
TRIBUNAL
17.1.1 Glenfada
Park North
Mr McLaughlin was at the gable end of Glenfada Park North when he saw two bodies on the rubble barricade. He ran towards the southwest alleyway with a group of people. Just before he reached the southwest exit, he saw 4 or 5 soldiers standing in the northeast alleyway of Glenfada Park North. The soldiers were pointing their rifles in the direction of the group at the southwest exit.
Mr McLaughlin managed to get through the alleyway. A few seconds later he heard 3 or 4 gunshots. He was not aware of anyone throwing missiles or confronting the soldiers. He did not see anyone with rifles in the alleyway or holding something in their hands that looked as if it was fizzing. He did not hear any explosions from Glenfada Park North.
17.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE
SOLDIERS
17.2.1 Columbcille
Court/Glenfada Park
Mr McLaughlin ran through the centre of Columbcille Court in the direction of Glenfada Park. He heard the whine of the APCs when he was in Columbcille Court and when he got to Glenfada Park he heard live fire.
He was not in Glenfada Park for more than 1 or 2 minutes. He ran as fast as he could and was not paying attention to what people behind him may have been doing. He did not see anybody being carried across the courtyard.
18 PATRICK BRADLEY’S EVIDENCE
18.1
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE TRIBUNAL
18.1.1 Stewarding
Mr Bradley was on the march with Kevin Barrett and Gerard McDaid. He said that a senior steward approached them on the Lone More Road and asked them if they would be stewards. They were given a rough outline of their duties which was to keep the people safely away from the moving lorry. They were told to encourage the crowd to go towards Free Derry Corner.
18.1.2 Barrier
14
Mr Bradley said that he and the other stewards formed two, possibly three lines with their backs to the barricade. Stones were being thrown by the crowd and the Army responded with rubber bullets, water cannon and gas.
Mr Bradley saw a cloud of gas ahead and in front of him.
At some point, a soldier lent over the barrier and hit Kevin Barrett on the back with a baton. Mr Bradley was next to him when it happened. Mr Barrett said that he was hit with a rubber bullet when he was around barrier 12.
18.1.3
Rossville Street
Mr Bradley heard shouts that the Army were coming in. He turned and saw an army vehicle coming south down Little James Street. He turned off Rossville Street into Glenfada Park North.
18.1.4 Glenfada
Park North
Mr Bradley was running towards the western exit when the man in front of him fell. He heard 5 or 6 bangs before, during and after the man fell. He helped the wounded man to his feet and recognised him as Joe Friel. As he lifted him, he heard different, sharper noises than the bangs that he had heard before. He could not tell where they were being fired from. He did not see anyone else injured in Glenfada Park. When he saw blood coming out of Mr Friel’s mouth he realised that he had been hit by a live round.
18.1.5 Lisfannon
Park
Mr Bradley carried Joe Friel to a house in Lisfannon Park. As he was carrying Mr Friel he saw two bullets strike the tarmac about 4 feet in front of him.
18.1.6 Abbey
Park
Mr Bradley came back into Abbey Park and saw Gerard McKinney. Mr McKinney had not been lying there when Mr Bradley first came past with Mr Friel.
Mr Bradley saw Gerard Donaghy being put into a white car. He said that he had a good view and saw Mr Donaghy being laid down in the back of a white Ford Cortina car. There was nothing in Mr Donaghy’s pocket. Mr Bradley would have seen any cylindrical objects.
18.2
QUESTIONS ON BEHALF OF THE SOLDIERS
18.2.1 Barrier
14
Mr Glasgow said that he was not aware of any soldiers at barrier 14 with batons. Mr Bradley said that he recalled one soldier with a baton. (Mr Roxburgh showed a photograph which shows a soldier with a baton at Barrier 14.)
Mr Bradley was not aware of stewards in Macari’s Lane preventing people from getting away and telling them to stand their ground.
He does not remember the banner at Barrier 14.
18.2.2 Rossville
Street
Mr Bradley said
that he did not throw stones or riot on the day.
18.2.3 Lisfannon
Park/Abbey Park
Mr Bradley remembers Joe Friel falling. He carried Mr Friel with another person. He was with Mr Friel for about five minutes.
Mr Bradley saw Gerard Donaghy carried out of a house. Someone was supporting his body. He agreed that it is possible that Mr Donaghy’s trousers would appear tight because of the way in which he was being carried.
19 INFORMATION ABOUT FORT GEORGE
Judge Toohey asked Mr Glasgow for information about the vehicles and soldiers at Fort George. In response to his questions, Mr Glasgow said that there were probably two army vehicles used to transport arrestees to Fort George. The paratroopers with the vehicles would have been the unit known as Guinness Force. Some of the soldiers had stayed at Fort George with the arrestees.
Mr Glasgow said that there are three notes of importance on the radio logs when analysing the paras presence at Fort George. At 5:04pm there is a request for the soldiers who made the arrests to be produced at Fort George. Then there is an RUC request which makes the point that unless those responsible for making the arrests come forward, the arrestees would have to be released. That request is passed to the Parachute Regiment who, according to their evidence are back at Barracks.
Mr Glasgow said that Fort George was under the control of the Coldstream Guards. He said that it is not to his knowledge that any of 1 Para went to Fort George before responding to the request.
Timetable of proceedings
Monday 1st
paras1 to 5
Tuesday 2nd
paras
6 to 9 and 19
Wednesday 3rd
paras 10 to 14
Thursday 4th
paras 15 to 18
For Peace Justice & Human Rights
