British government would not apologise for Bloody Sunday over liability
The British government would not apologise over Bloody Sunday as it would mean accepting liability, confidential documents have revealed.
The incident in January 1972 saw members of the Parachute Regiment shoot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Derry.
Papers from the Irish government have now detailed a conversation between then-Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Patrick Mayhew and Ireland’s deputy prime minister Dick Spring, held in London in February 1997.
During the three hours of talks at Lancaster House, the British secretary of state said his government – led by Conservative Prime Minister John Major – might not have a problem expressing “profound regret” for what happened, but apologising for it would be to “accept liability”, which “could not be justified” on the “available evidence”.
Sir Patrick also said there was “not much prospect” of Lord Widgery’s findings into Bloody Sunday – a widely criticised report in 1972 that exonerated the soldiers – being overturned.
Michael Ancram (right) was unhappy about remarks Sir Patrick (centre) made to Mr Spring (left) about Bloody Sunday
The memo from an Irish official said the discussion was wide-ranging and mostly focused on negotiations and the peace process, but Sir Patrick brought up the incident, describing it as “an absolute disaster”.
The official noted that he made the remark “much to the discomfort” of Northern Ireland minister Michael Ancram, who suggested that “tragedy” might be a better description, but Sir Patrick stood by his assessment.
Irish deputy Mr Spring told him Bloody Sunday was a “very sensitive issue” that he wanted “closed in a dignified way”. But he said new evidence was emerging and questioned whether the British government could respond without establishing a new inquiry.
Sir Patrick told him he wanted justice for both sides – the families of the bereaved and the soldiers. However, he claimed not to have seen any of the reported new evidence, with an Irish official noting that he did not appear to be overly impressed by what he had heard of it.
“Nevertheless, he noted that the process of criminal prosecution could be activated in response to convincing new evidence,” the Irish official said.
A new inquiry was held by Lord Saville and concluded in 2010, finding no justification for shooting any of those killed or wounded. Afterwards, David Cameron issued a public apology, saying the killings were “unjustified and unjustifiable”.
Trimble’s ‘resentful complex’
A number of other Irish state records from the 1990s have also been published, including criticism of former Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble by the Irish ambassador to the US.
Dermot Gallagher said the late Nobel Peace Prize winner, who was instrumental in the Good Friday Agreement and later became first minister in Northern Ireland, had “a resentful complex” towards the Republic of Ireland and had “little vision of the kind of leadership that is urgently required at this time in Northern Ireland”.
David Trimble was the former leader of the Ulster Unionist Party
Another document showed the Irish government’s fears of loyalists bombings in the country after the IRA ceasefire ended in 1996, detailing a meeting that took place soon after the London Docklands bombing in February 1996 that killed two people and injured more than 100 others.
And another revealed the then-Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern had called for the use of rubber bullets to be discontinued in his country, saying he hoped it would put pressure on the British government to reduce their use in Northern Ireland.
Former Irish PM Bertie Ahern
One of the stranger records to be published covered a call between an Irish official and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was then deputy editor of the Daily Telegraph.
Mr Johnson urged the Irish government to take a “hard egg” approach to the Northern Ireland peace process and “let the nationalists go to hell”, adding: “Let them use the bomb and the bullet, we shouldn’t give in and we will beat them eventually.”
The official, who described the conversation as being “slightly surreal”, said he “pointed out” that a hard egg approach “can only lead to broken heads”, and that “the priority now has to be to minimise the chances of another act of violence”.
Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders in Kyiv to press Russia to agree an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time – arriving in the capital by train – with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz travelling in the saloon car of a special train to Kyiv. Pic: Reuters
Leaders arrive in Kyiv by train. Pic: PA
It comes after Donald Trump called for “ideally” a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions”.
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are “rowing in behind” the US president, who referred to his “European allies” for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal,” he said.
“It’s the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue.”
Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron among world leaders in Kyiv. Pic: AP
Trump calls for ceasefire. Pic: Truth Social
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days starting on Monday.
Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement.
European leaders show solidarity – but await Trump’s backing
The hope is Russia’s unilateral ceasefire, such as it’s worth, can be extended for a month to give peace a chance.
But ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian sources told Sky News they are still waiting for President Donald Trump to put his full weight behind the idea.
The US leader has said a 30-day ceasefire would be ideal, but has shown no willingness yet for putting pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to agree.
The Russians say a ceasefire can only come after a peace deal can be reached.
European allies are still putting their hopes in a negotiated end to the war despite Moscow’s intransigence and President Trump’s apparent one-sided approach favouring Russia.
Ukrainians would prefer to be given enough economic and military support to secure victory.
But in over three years, despite its massive economic superiority to Russia and its access to more advanced military technology, Europe has not found the political will to give Kyiv the means to win.
Until they do, Vladimir Putin may decide it is still worth pursuing this war despite its massive cost in men and materiel on both sides.
“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they said.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.”
Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in March. Pic: AP
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Putin’s Victory Day parade explained
The leaders said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible”.
But they warned that they would continue to “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.
“We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come,” their statement added.
“We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine.”
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The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine’s capital where flags represent those who died in the war.
They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the “coalition of the willing” to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force.
Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for a coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.
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This force “would help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace”, according to Number 10.
A special constable has been jailed after taking pictures on his phone from bodycam footage showing a dying man.
Former police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after showing the photos of victim William Harty, 28, to a female colleague and storing them on his Snapchat account.
Mr Harty was found seriously injured in a residential street in Leicester on 25 October 2021 and Heggs had attended the scene, helping with CPR before paramedics arrived.
Mr Harty died in hospital a day later and the man responsible for his injuries, his brother-in-law Martin Casey, was subsequently convicted of his manslaughter.
Heggs showed the pictures he had taken of bodycam footage of Mr Harty’s body to a Leicestershire Police constable, who reported Heggs and said she did not like seeing blood.
His phone was seized and officers discovered other photographs and video clips of bodyworn footage of incidents Heggs had attended on duty, including of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid.
He also took pictures of a police computer screen, showing details of crimes and suspects, without consent.
Heggs stored the materials in a Snapchat folder and disclosed graphic details – most of which were not in the public domain – about the injuries to a woman who was killed in a road traffic collision he had attended, to a friend on the social media platform.
Heggs was suspended from the force in November 2021 and resigned in October 2024 before pleading guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences this March.
William Harty’s widow Mandy Casey. Pic: PA
‘He has traumatised me’
Mr Harty’s widow, Mandy Casey, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that Heggs “took (her) husband’s dignity when he was most vulnerable”.
“You don’t take someone’s dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.”
She continued: “When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.”
Ms Casey said she was still scared that photos of her husband’s body might appear on social media.
She added that she had lost trust in the police.
Public trust in police ‘significantly undermined’
Judge Timothy Spencer told Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, that he was “probably too immature to be working as a police officer” as he handed down the sentence.
He said Heggs had received “extensive training”, including on the importance of data protection, and knew he should only share materials for “a genuine policing purpose”.
Heggs’s actions had “significantly undermined” public trust and confidence in police, according to the judge.
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Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “William Heggs abused the public’s trust in the office he held as a special police constable.
“He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers.”
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