Bloody Sunday shooting victim awarded £193k in compensation

By Press Association reporter

A man shot in the face during Bloody Sunday has been awarded almost £200,000 in damages.

Michael Quinn, from Derry, was an A-level student when he was shot by a solider on January 30, 1972, during one of the most infamous incidents of the Troubles.

Thirteen people were killed when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire on a civil rights demonstration in the city. A 14th victim died months later in hospital.

With the UK Government having apologised for the actions of soldiers on the day after the landmark Saville Inquiry of 2010 found those targeted had been entirely innocent, a number of test cases have been taken to court to establish the level of compensation due.

Mr Quinn, 63, who went on to forge a successful banking career in Dublin, was awarded £193,000 in a civil action in Belfast High Court on Thursday. Liability had not been contested by the Ministry of Defence.

Mr Justice McAlinden heard that Mr Quinn continues to suffer pain from his injuries and faces further grafting treatment, 46 years on from the incident.

He said the award reflected the "pain, suffering and loss of amenity and injury to feelings" of the victim.

The judge added: "The defendant accepts that this plaintiff, and indeed all the victims, were innocent victims and has admitted assault, battery and trespass to the person, and has not sought to raise any matter or issue by way of attempted justification for the actions of the soldiers in question, nor has it sought to avail of any limitation defence which might otherwise have been available to it."

Police in Northern Ireland launched a murder investigation into the events of Bloody Sunday in 2012.

Prosecutors are currently assessing the evidence against a number of soldiers who were on the streets of Derry on the day.