Former priest gives evidence to Inquiry

Soldiers in Londonderry in 1972

A former Catholic priest has told the Saville Inquiry how men and youths fell dead and wounded all around him in the army gunfire of Bloody Sunday.

Professor Terence O'Keeffe, said he witnessed the shootings of six casualties within feet of him and said he saw as many as four other bodies close by that day.

Mr O'Keefe was giving evidence to the inquiry into the shooting dead of 13 men during a military operation at an anti-internment parade in Londonderry on Sunday 30 January 1972.

Another man died later from his injuries.

At no stage did I see anything which remotely would have led to justified fire from the army

Professor Terry O'Keefe

He told the Saville Inquiry that "one seemingly wounded victim was dragging himself to safety and had nearly reached shelter when he was shot again.

"Another three young men were running for their lives when they fell to the ground in a row as another burst of gunfire rang out," he said from the witness box of the Guildhall in Derry.

Mr O'Keeffe told the tribunal, chaired by Lord Saville of Newdigate, that he had a "vague recollection that stones were being thrown from the rubble barricade across Rossville Street when troops moved up the road that day".

But he added: "At no stage did I see anything which remotely would have led to justified fire from the army."

'Live rounds'

He told the inquiry he was with about 35 people, including another priest, Father Denis Bradley, at the barricade across Rossville Street when the shooting started.

He said one young man, probably Michael Kelly, one of those who died, doubled up, clutching his stomach and fell to the ground.

"Four young men immediately ran over and carried him to the relative shelter of a gable wall beside the barricade," he said.

It was only then that he realised that the troops were firing live rounds.

He then looked on to the rubble barricade where he saw another three bodies lying on the barricade.

Mr O'Keefe said both he and Fr Bradley were anxious to go out to anoint the casualties on the barricade but said continuous gunfire made it impossible.

"I could hear the whining of bullets as they whizzed by," he said.

"It was just too dangerous to go out. Fr Bradley gave absolution to the men from behind the gable wall."

Lord Saville: Heading the inquiry

Mr O'Keeffe, who left the priesthood in 1973, later said a soldier alleged to have shot dead at least one of the Bloody Sunday victims spat into the mouth of a youth in military custody that evening.

He made the allegation about the soldier known in the inquiry as Lance Corporal F, a member of 1 Para's anti-tank platoon.

Mr O'Keeffe, was one of about 50 people arrested by troops and taken to Fort George army base in the city.

Charges against all were subsequently dropped.

'Bullet whizzed by'

Meanwhile, a man who ventured out to help two of the Bloody Sunday casualties has told the inquiry he was forced to retreat when a bullet whizzed past his head.

Ex-Royal Navy serviceman Ronald Wood said that non-stop gunfire prevented attempts to rescue two young men covered with blood on a rubble barricade in the Bogside that day.

He said: "It was evident that if anyone tried to help the two youths who had fallen, they would also be shot.

The Bloody Sunday inquiry was established in 1998, and is expected to run for another two years.