Victims to start legal battle for damages over Bloody Sunday

VICTIMS of the Bloody Sunday massacre are set to commence a legal battle for damages.

Claims against the Ministry of Defence brought by the families of two of those killed and one of those wounded will get under way at the High Court in Belfast next week.

Thirteen people were shot dead when Army paratroopers opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in Londonderry in January 1972.

One of the others wounded on the day died later.

In 2010 a major inquiry chaired by Lord Saville said those killed or injured on Bloody Sunday were innocent.

Following those conclusions the then Prime Minister David Cameron issued a public apology for the actions of the soldiers.

Mr Cameron described the killings as “unjustified and unjustifiable”.

Law firm Madden & Finucane has now been instructed in 21 civil actions taken on benear

Apology: David Cameron

half of people either shot dead or wounded.

Three of the writs have been selected as test cases and are due for trial hearings on the issue of damages.

Bringing the actions are: Michael Quinn, a 17-year-old schoolboy in 1972 who was shot and seriously wounded in the face in Glenfada Park.

Gerard McKinney, a 35-yearold married father-of-eight shot dead at Abbey Park in the Derry.

Michael McDaid, a 20-year-old single man who was shot dead a barricade on Rossville Street.

Ahead of the start of the hearings, Peter Madden of Madden & Finucane said there was disappointment among the families at the lack of action on the issue of compensation.

“In January 2011, I wrote to the then Prime Minister David Cameron asking for his proposals on how to properly compensate the families and wounded and reminded him that he had told the world’s media that the events of Bloody Sunday were both unjustified and unjustifiable,” he said.

“A reply was received some weeks later from an official within the MoD stating they would like to resolve the issue as ‘quickly and efficiently’ as possible.

“The families are disappointed that the MoD has not fulfilled that commitment and that they have to go to court and relive the events of the day.”

The Saville Inquiry was the longest-running and most expensive in British history, costing £195m and taking 12 years to complete.