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Bloody Sunday report due at end of the year

Tuesday, 22 September 2009

Bloody Sunday report delayed

The Saville Inquiry report into the Bloody Sunday killings in Northern Ireland is expected in December, it was revealed last night.

Over four years after hearings closed, authoritative sources close to the investigation confirmed the report should be presented to the Government by Christmas.

The inquiry was established in 1998 by the then prime minister Tony Blair to re-examine the events of January 30 1972, when British soldiers shot dead 14 people attending a civil rights march in Londonderry.

Costing nearly £200m, it was the most expensive inquiry in British legal history and lasted for five years, with the first witness heard in November 2000 and the last in January 2005.

The tribunal was chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate, alongside two other judges from Australia and Canada.

There were 2,500 witness statements, of whom 922 were called to give direct evidence.

There were also 160 volumes of evidence, containing an estimated 20-30 million words, plus 121 audio tapes and 110 videotapes.

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Why admit an untruth?

Waste of money.

Posted by Mc | 22.09.09, 13:22 GMT

Yes it was a total waste of money if only they admitted the truth. Typical isn't it pantip? I wonder how much it would have cost if they didn't shoot anybody mmmm!!!?

Sp[eaking of waste of money I wonder how the george best statue is getting on!!

Posted by Jim | 22.09.09, 10:59 GMT

If it is fair to have an inquiry into Bloody Sunday it must also be fair to have an inquriy into the IRA bombing of the Enniskillen Poppy Day memorial in which 11 innocent people were killed ?
A bomb was planted behind a wall were people stood and watched every year , not a mistake but deliberate.
An inquiry is also needed into the slaughter of 11 Protestant workmen at Kingsmill , machined gunend to death by the IRA.
An inquiry is needed into the Shankill Fish Shop bombing in which 11 people were killed.
These inquiries need the full support of IRA/Sinn Fein , the planners and perpertrators of these war crimes must be identified.

Posted by Steve | 22.09.09, 10:42 GMT

What a waste of public money. How on earth can this be justified when schools are in need of repair and hospitals are closing wards? The people who demanded this inquiry should think twice about what this really has achieved.

Posted by Belfast Citizen | 22.09.09, 10:29 GMT

waste of money.

Posted by bored | 22.09.09, 10:27 GMT

Here, here, Paul. I think Pantip was giving the opinion of the excessively liberal husband again.

Posted by Ulysses32 | 22.09.09, 10:12 GMT

The inquiry that republicanism wanted to highlight the 'Brits' at their worst. When it was granted McGuiness disgraced it and showed it up to be the pink elephant and political football it always was.

A geniune inquiry to get to the bottom of what happened? Dont make me laugh not when Martin and his boys are involved.....

Posted by Ian | 22.09.09, 10:06 GMT

I agree with Pantip. No matter what the result of this report no-one is going to be punished for their actions. £200m is a lot of money that could have been spent on our hospitals, our education, our infrastructure etc.
May I also add that I think that other Inquiries such as the Billy Wright, Rosemary Nelson, Pat Finucane Inquiries etc. are also a terrible waste of public money. I know families want closure but is closure at a cost of millions of pounds worth it??

Posted by Liam | 22.09.09, 09:19 GMT

I agree waste of money, it would have been much cheaper for the government to simply admit they killed innocent catholic children.

Posted by paul | 22.09.09, 08:52 GMT

This whole issue has been a total waste of tax payer money. Teflon Tony allowed nationalists and republicans to rake over the past while they told the rest of us to move on. My memory of this whole sordid affair will be a leading republican (our Marty) after pushing for this enquiry to unearth the "truth", refused to tell the whole story whilst giving evidence. All will recall the infamous "I did not betray the Republican Code of Silence" statement to the world's media who were waiting outside the Guidhall where the enquiry took place. The enquiry was a "disproprotionate response".

Posted by Tangled Web | 22.09.09, 08:33 GMT