Para commander appears at Saville hearing

The officer in charge of the paratroopers in Derry on Bloody Sunday was giving evidence today to the Saville Inquiry into the 1972 shootings.

Lieutenant-Colonel Derek Wilford has submitted a 25-page statement to the inquiry about the events of January 30, 1972 when 13 civil rights marchers were shot dead by soldiers. A 14th man died later.

Lt Col Wilford is expected to stand by the conduct of his men in Derry after they were drafted in from Belfast.

In his statement to the inquiry, he said nothing he witnessed on Bloody Sunday caused him to believe that his men acted in anything other than a professional way.

He also insisted he did not see any shameful or disgraceful acts.

The officer, who was giving evidence in the morning, is expected to be in the witness box in Methodist Central Hall in London for up to two weeks.

In his evidence to the Widgery Tribunal, which took place shortly after Bloody Sunday, Lt Col Wilford said anything between 2,000 and 20,000 marchers were expected in Londonderry on the day which would become Bloody Sunday.

He said the security operation was intended to be “low-key” and he hoped to arrest rioters, but said there was no prior discussion of any shooting.

Lt Col Wilford also told the Widgery Tribunal he heard gunfire on Bloody Sunday which he did not believe had been fired by his troops.

The senior officer will be the 689th witness to appear before the tribunal.

The inquiry, which usually sits at the Guildhall in Derry, is currently hearing evidence from military witnesses and others in London because of concerns for their safety.

Lord Saville of Newdigate and the Commonwealth judges accompanying him on the Bloody Sunday inquiry began their work nearly four years ago and are not expected to report back until late 2004.

The inquiry was established in 1998 by British Prime Minister Tony Blair after a campaign by families of those killed and injured.

They felt that the Widgery Inquiry, held shortly after the shootings, did not find out the truth about what happened in the Bogside area of the city on Bloody Sunday.