First Bloody Sunday, now blood money leaves families outraged

The landmark decision, which comes a year after Prime Minister David Cameron described the atrocity as “unjustified and unjustifiable,” will see compensation payments made where there is a “legal liability” to do so.

It is not yet known who exactly will be compensated, nor the amounts they stand to receive, but the overall package is expected to run into millions.

The relatives of some victims, however, have already rejected the offer, branding the gesture “repulsive” and called for criminal prosecutions, while some politicians and experts on Northern Irish politics warned that by pressing ahead with the initiative, the government was opening a “Pandora’s box”.

The unprecedented move came after a law firm representing many of the victims’ families wrote to Mr Cameron urging him to “fully compensate” them for “the loss of their loved ones, the wounding of others, and the shameful allegations which besmirched their good name for many years”.

In the wake of that correspondence, sent in January, the MoD has now written to the legal firm, Madden and Finucane, stating it would like to resolve compensation claims as quickly and efficiently as possible.

An MoD spokesman said: “We acknowledge the pain felt by these families for nearly 40 years, and that members of the armed forces acted wrongly. For that, the government is deeply sorry. We are in contact with the families’ solicitors and where there is a legal liability to pay compensation we will do so.”

Thirteen unarmed civilians died, when members of the Parachute Regiment opened fire during a civil rights protest in the Bogside area of Londonderry on 30 January, 1972. A 14th victim died several months later.

Lord Saville delivered a landmark report last year which criticised the army over the killings. His panel ruled that the army fired first and without provocation. It found all 14 who died and the others who were injured almost four decades ago had been unarmed and were completely innocent.

The troops had also continued to shoot as the protesters fled or lay fatally wounded. One father was shot as he went to tend to his injured son, the 5,000-page report revealed.

In a bid to cover up the truth soldiers later insisted they had only retaliated, the document – described as “shocking” by Mr Cameron – said. Relatives of victims have spent years campaigning for justice and the revision of an original probe into the massacre which they branded a whitewash.

However, some yesterday firmly rejected any offer of government compensation.

Linda Nash, whose 19-year-old brother William died after being shot in the chest, said: “It is repulsive. Offensive. Not now, nor at any time will I accept money. Not under any circumstances will I ever accept money for the loss of my brother. I’ve already told my legal team I want to go forward with prosecutions.

“I find it repulsive, taking anything from the MoD. If the MoD wants to set up bursaries they can, but not in my brother’s name.”

She compared the compensation scheme to one the government had offered her mother – totalling just £250 – in the early 1970s. “She didn’t take it then and I will be doing the same,” she added.

The process of establishing who would be eligible for compensation could be complicated as many immediate family members of victims are dead. Several relatives received a small payment worth a few hundred pounds from the MoD, without admitting liability, shortly after the event.

Peter Madden, of Madden and Finucane, said it would be considering the MoD correspondence with those families it represented and discussions would commence soon with the MoD “in order to resolve the issue”.

Jonathan Tonge, professor of politics at Liverpool University and an expert on Northern Irish politics, said the payments would only “open a can of worms”.

“I think the payments will raise more problems than they solve,” he said. “There’s going to be a dispute over the level of the payments, while some families are more interested in criminal prosecutions.

“But more than that, what happens to the victims killed by the British Army? For example, Sinn Fein are campaigning over the Ballymurphy Massacre of 1971, where they said the army killed 11 people.

“In some ways, the Bloody Sunday announcement is logical, as David Cameron described the events of that day as indefensible. But the idea that the victims of Bloody Sunday are the only victims of state action is completely illusory. I don’t think these payments will bring closure at all, a whole new can of worms is being opened.”

Democratic Unionist East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell said: “The government has opened the Pandora’s box by a politically motivated response to Saville. If many others choose to demand a similar response, what will the consequences of that be?”