Bloody Sunday widow stages inquiry walkout

The widow of a man shot dead on Bloody Sunday walked out of the Saville Inquiry today in protest at measures put in place to protect the identity of a witness.

Eileen Doherty, whose husband Paddy was shot by soldiers, claimed the inquiry had descended into farce as a senior Army witness gave his evidence via video-link from an undisclosed foreign country.

The former head of intelligence in Northern Ireland appeared at Methodist Central Hall in London on a monitor which was screened from the public gallery and the families of the deceased and injured.

The 84-year-old retired officer, known only as David, gave his evidence from a secret location accompanied by a serving security service agent, his son and an inquiry solicitor.

Mrs Doherty said the inquiry “was supposed to be open and transparent but had descended into farce”.

She said she would not return until after the retired officer had completed giving his evidence.

David denied he was reluctant to co-operate with the inquiry despite his refusal to travel to London to give his evidence.

He told Barry MacDonald QC, counsel for many of the families of the dead and injured, that he travelled to London in the last few months for the purpose of preparing his statement to the inquiry, but could not remember precisely when he took this trip.

Mr MacDonald asked: “If you were prepared to travel to London for that purpose, or for some other purpose within the last few months, why were you not willing to come to London again to appear in person before this Tribunal?”

David replied: “Well, I told you that the experience of going to London had a lasting effect. I am now 84-years-old, I have a very dodgy short-term memory and it takes a while for me to recover.”

David also said he did not remember seeing any specific intelligence which suggested the IRA planned to attack the security forces on Bloody Sunday.

However, he said it was commonplace at the time for republican paramilitaries to join demonstrations to cause problems for the police and army.

David was Director of Intelligence for Northern Ireland on January 30, 1972 when 13 civil rights marchers were shot dead by soldiers in Derry. A 14th man died later.

“I have been asked if there was any intelligence of which I was aware that specifically predicted that the IRA would attempt to exploit the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march in Derry on January 30, 1972 as cover for attacking the army,” David said.

“I do not remember any intelligence specific to the march in question to that effect but I do remember that it was endemic at that time that the IRA would join marches, demonstrations and any civil disturbance to exploit opportunities to cause trouble to the security forces.”

David said he had been assisted by current Security Service staff in drafting his statement to the inquiry, but he insisted what he had said was his personal view.

The retired officer told the inquiry his task was to co-ordinate the intelligence gathering efforts of the various elements of the security forces operating in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s.

“My role was to build an effective intelligence structure so there would be as free an exchange of intelligence between the army and the RUC as possible,” he said.

David said he did not remember an intelligence or “signal document” dated three days before Bloody Sunday which he sent to Brigadier Pat MacLelland, the most senior soldier based in Derry at the time.

In it, an unnamed source, later identified as Observer C, said he expected “the IRA will be armed with sticks and stones and will use the crowd as cover”.

The Saville Inquiry, which usually sits at the Guildhall in Derry, is currently hearing the 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 2004.

The Bloody Sunday inquiry was established in 1998 by 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 on Bloody Sunday.