Bloody Sunday victims' families to receive MoD compensation

The British government is to pay compensation to families of those killed or wounded on Bloody Sunday, the Ministry of Defence announced on Thursday.

More than a year after David Cameron apologised to the victims and described the 1972 Derry shootings as "unjustified and unjustifiable", the Ministry of Defence has said it is in contact with the lawyers of victims' relatives and is preparing to make amends where required.

"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," said an MoD spokesman. "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 in the Bloody Sunday shootings, when paratroopers opened fire during a civil rights protest in the Bogside area of Derry in January 1972. A 14th man died of his wounds several months later....