The only sister of Bloody Sunday victim Gerard Donaghy told a judge yesterday why it was so important to her to be allowed to see police officers as they give their evidence to the Saville Tribunal.
BLOODY SUNDAY INQUIRY: Mrs Mary Doherty, whose brother was 17 when he was one of 13 civilians shot dead by British soldiers on January 30th, 1972, said she wanted to see the faces and demeanour of the witnesses.
"Their evidence is, for us, crucial to establishing the truth of the reasons why and the circumstances in which our loved ones died," she said.
Mrs Doherty's sworn affidavit was before the High Court in Belfast during the hearing of a judicial review into Lord Saville's decision to allow 19 police officers to give their evidence from behind screens. Families of the dead and wounded had earlier won the right to proceed with their legal challenge after Mr Justice Kerr dismissed an application by the tribunal's lawyers to set aside the leave he granted on Monday.
The judge said once leave had been granted the power to set it aside should be used very sparingly.
He added that while the tribunal's arguments were persuasive they were not of a compelling quality.
Mrs Doherty said in her affidavit she regularly attended the Guildhall hearings since they began in 1998.
"What is important to us and the people of Derrty is that we want to hear what the members of the security forces have to say about the things they claim to have seen," she said. "The evidence of the RUC witnesses is of great consequence to my family as my brother Gerard Donaghy was found to have nail bombs in four of his pockets.
"There is compelling evidence these devices were planted by security forces."
Mrs Doherty said screening of the witnesses meant she was being excluded from the most important evidence.
"The large wooden box in which the RUC officers will give their evidence prevents me from seeing their faces or their demeanour," she said.
Lord Saville acceded to the screening request after police officers said they feared for their safety if they had to give evidence in public.
The hearing continues today.