Witness recalls gunman 'firing'

The tribunal is entering the final stages of hearing evidence

A civilian witness has told the Saville Inquiry that she saw a gunman firing a shot on Bloody Sunday.

Margot Harkin said that while people were clearly lying dead at the barricade on Rossville Street, the gunman fired at least one shot from an alleyway at Glenfada Park in the direction of the barricade.

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

She told the inquiry on Tuesday she believed the incident happened at a very late stage and that the soldiers did not see the gunman.

The inquiry is to continue its sessions at the Guildhall in Londonderry for a number of weeks until all the remaining witnesses have been heard.

When the oral evidence ends, the inquiry will move into the closing stages including submissions and the closing speech by counsel to the inquiry.

These closing stages are likely to last for some months, after which the tribunal will retire to write their report.

Publication of the report will take place towards the end of 2004 at the earliest.

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

The Bloody Sunday Inquiry was established in 1998 by Prime Minister Tony Blair after a campaign by families of those killed and injured.

They felt that the Widgery Inquiry, held shortly after the shootings, did not find out the truth about what happened on Bloody Sunday.