The Court of Appeal has dismissed a Ministry of Defence challenge against an additional £15,000 compensation award to the family of a man killed on Bloody Sunday. Bernard McGuigan, a 41-year-old father of six, was shot dead by the Parachute Regiment in Derry on 30 January 1972.
The MoD argued that because Mr McGuigan died instantly, his relatives were not entitled to aggravated damages for injury to his feelings. However, senior judges upheld a High Court ruling that he would have experienced fear and dread during the attack, justifying the extra payment.
Thirteen people were killed and 15 wounded when soldiers opened fire on civil rights demonstrators. The 2010 Saville Inquiry concluded all victims were innocent, leading to a public apology from then Prime Minister David Cameron. The MoD has accepted liability in civil cases, with over £3 million paid out in damages to date.
Ruling on the appeal, Lord Justice McCloskey described the MoD's case as unsustainable and affirmed the award. He also ordered the MoD to pay the legal costs of the hearing.
