Saville Inquiry hears evidence from Ivan Cooper

Former SDLP MP Ivan Cooper has told the Saville Inquiry how he saw a man being shot dead as he tried to go to the aid of a dying man on Bloody Sunday more than 32 years ago.

Mr Cooper, a former activist in the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), said the victim, Barney McGuigan, was waving a piece of cloth when he was shot dead by the British army.

Mr McGuigan was one of 13 unarmed civilians shot dead by British soldiers during a NICRA march in the Bogside area of Derry on January 30, 1972.

Mr Cooper also told the Saville Inquiry today that the Provisional IRA had promised to confine itself to the nearby Creggan estate for the duration of the civil rights march.

However, he said he received a phone call from a member of the provisionals after the shooting had started saying: "The deal is off, we’re coming in."

Mr Cooper said he believed the British soldiers did not plan to shoot people on Bloody Sunday, but opened fire under the false impression that they were under attack. He said they may have been under this impression because of shots fired by other British soldiers positioned on the City Wall.