Bloody Sunday commander refuses to apologise to victim's family

The commander of the British army unit which killed 13 unarmed civilians in Derry on Bloody Sunday 31 years ago has refused to apologise to the family of one of the victims.

A solicitor for the family of Bernard McGuigan asked Colonel Ted Loden today if he was prepared to apologise to Mr McGuigan's relatives, but the British soldier refused, saying he would "await the outcome of the inquiry".

Mr McGuigan, a 41-year-old father of six, was shot in the head while holding up a white handkerchief on January 30, 1972, the day the British army killed 13 Catholic civil rights marchers in Derry.

Colonel Loden said he did not fire the shot that killed Mr McGuigan and, therefore, could not say if the soldier responsible was correct in opening fire.