Bloody Sunday Tribunal/Day 328: The widow of one of the 13 unarmed civilians shot dead by British army paratroopers in Derry in January 1972 yesterday walked out of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, claiming the hearing was both "a farce and a joke".
Mrs Eileen Doherty, whose husband, Paddy (31), a father of six, was shot dead in the Bogside during an illegal civil rights march, walked out of the hearing in London's Methodist Central Hall to protest against what she called were unprecedented security measures set up to hear evidence from a witness who was the Director of Intelligence for Northern Ireland on Bloody Sunday.
Codenamed "David", the witness, who is now 84, gave his evidence from a secret location abroad after he refused to travel to London to appear before the inquiry.
At his location, "David" was accompanied by his son and by the solicitor to the inquiry, Mr John Tate.
Also in the room were a technician and another person described by Mr Tate as "a gentleman from the Security Service who is helping me hand documents over to 'David'."
A live video link relayed "David's" image and voice to the inquiry, where additional security arrangements were put in place for the duration of the witness's evidence.
The screen showing his image was placed in a specially erected box, designed to conceal the image from everyone except the inquiry's three judges and the various legal teams.
In addition, a member of the inquiry's staff stood beside the box in a position where he could literally pull the plug if anyone from the public gallery attempted to view the video screen.
Mrs Eileen Doherty, who had travelled from Derry to London for the hearing, said she had no option but to walk out of the inquiry.
"This is supposed to be an open and transparent public inquiry but there is nothing either open or transparent about what's happening today. It is a farce. I will not be going back in until "David's" evidence has finished", she said.
Asked by Mr Barry MacDonald QC, who represents most of the families of the Bloody Sunday victims, if he was "reluctant to co-operate with this inquiry fully and you did not want to attend in person", the witness replied "no".
The inquiry in London resumes today.