Officer 'heard shots' on Bloody Sunday

Fourteen civilians died after Bloody Sunday shootings

A senior detective has said he heard three bursts of automatic gunfire and four explosions 20 minutes before the Army went into the Bogside on Bloody Sunday.

Detective Superintendent Neville McCoubrey, who was a 30-year-old constable in 1972, was giving evidence to the Bloody Sunday inquiry in Londonderry on Monday.

The Saville Inquiry is examining the events of 30 January 1972 when 13 civilians were shot dead by British army soldiers during a civil rights march in the city. A 14th person died later.

The policeman said he assumed the IRA was behind the shooting and explosions he heard coming from the general area of Rossville Street.

Lord Saville is heading inquiry into Bloody Sunday

Mr McCoubrey, who was testifying from behind a screen, said he was on general policing duty in the Diamond area, about 150 yards from the Rossville Street.

"I cannot be more precise than this. It would be impossible for me to say who was firing.

"My immediate reaction thinking that the firing was coming from the Bogside was that it was enemy fire," he said.

"This was an assumption on my part. It would be unlikely for the police to carry sub-machine guns in a crowd control situation."

Mr McCoubrey said the gunfire was quickly followed by four explosions.

'Contradicted

His evidence was challenged by lawyers acting for families of the victims.

Arthur Harvey QC said Mr McCoubrey's account contradicted an enormous amount of what had already been reported to the inquiry.

"What your report really does is suggest they (the Army) were justified in opening fire because someone had opened up with a machine gun.

"What I want to suggest to you is your recollection was inaccurate."

Another lawyer, Mary McHugh, pointed out that eight police officers who were much closer to the scene of the shootings had not reported any machine gun fire in their evidence.

She asked: "If there had been machine gun fire in the Bogside that afternoon, would you expect that at least some of these constables would in fact have heard that?"

Mr McCoubrey told her that he would have presumed they would have heard it.

Michael Mansfield QC added none of the radio reports made on the day of Bloody Sunday contained any reference to automatic gunfire or explosions.

Lord Saville of Newdigate and the commonwealth judges accompanying him on the Bloody Sunday inquiry began their work nearly four years ago.

They are not expected to report back until 2004.