Allegations that a senior British army officer deliberately distorted evidence about the events of Bloody Sunday were today ruled inadmissible by the Saville Inquiry.
Late last year, lawyers acting for the relatives wrote to the Inquiry asking that allegations that Colonel Colin Overbury had interfered with the statements of soldiers during the time of the Widgery Inquiry in 1972 should be included in their final submissions.
But the Saville Inquiry ruled that as the allegations had not been put to Colonel Overbury when he gave evidence in October, 2002, it would be unfair to him to allow the allegations to be revived.
The Inquiry also decided against recalling the colonel so that these allegations could be put to him.
Before Christmas, barristers representing the families argued the allegations should be permitted to help establish the full truth of what happened on Bloody Sunday.
Barry McDonald QC said that Colonel Overbury would have a full and fair opportunity to answer the allegations in a written reply to the final submissions.
At the time of Bloody Sunday, Colonel Overbury was the Assistant Director of British Army Legal Services and took statements from a number of soldiers present on the day.
It was alleged that he used his position as head of the Army Legal Services team at the Widgery Inquiry to help conceal the truth.
Later, former IRA man Mr Donncha Mac Ficheallaigh described seeing two young men, William McKinney and Joseph Mahon, shot down by soldiers in Glenfada Park. Mr McKinney (27) died after being shot in the chest, while Mr Mahon was wounded but survived.
Mr Mac Ficheallaigh told the Inquiry that the pair posed no threat to the soldiers.
"They were like everybody else. They were in a panic to get away. They had probably heard the same volume of gunfire as everyone else and most likely did what everyone else did and that was basically run out of the vicinity," he added.
PA