Nail bomb accused had nothing in pockets, inquiry told
A man who tended one of the victims of Bloody Sunday today maintained the youth had nothing in his pockets in the minutes after being shot.
Raymond Rogan made the claim about Gerald Donaghey, 17, whose pockets were found to be containing four bulky nail bombs more than half-an-hour after the shootings.
Mr Donaghey was one of the 13 men and youths shot dead in Derry’s Bogside when Army Paratroopers opened fire in the wake of a civil rights parade.
He is the only victim whose innocence remains disputed by lawyers acting for the soldiers, although others claim the nail bombs were planted on him so that the troops could justify having opened fire that day.
Mr Rogan told day 184 of the Inquiry’s public hearing that the dying Mr Donaghey was carried into his house on Abbey Park in the moments after being gunned down and remained there for between five to 10 minutes.
He claimed a doctor, Dr Kevin Swords, searched the body for identification.
Mr Donaghey was wearing tight-fitting blue jeans and a denim jacket - but found nothing there and that he himself patted the youth’s pockets and was certain there was nothing resembling nail bombs there.
Questioned by Counsel to the Inquiry Christopher Clarke QC what he would have done had he found an object like a nail bomb, what he would have done, Mr Rogan replied: ‘‘In the first instance when the young Donaghey was outside, I would never have failed to observe those in his pockets.
‘‘Consequently I would not have allowed him to be brought into my house.’
