Derry Daily
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Sport
  • Features
  • Courts
  • Business
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Jobs
Wednesday 22°CThursday 22°C

Derry Daily Derry Daily Derry Daily

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Sport
  • Features
  • Courts
  • Business
  • Health
  • Politics
  • Jobs
CourtsHealthNews

BRITISH SOLDIER WILL NOT BE CHARGED OVER KILLING OF TEENAGER IN DERRY

March 8, 2016
ShareTweet
15-year-old school boy Daniel Hegarty who was shot in head by a soldier in Derry in 1972 during Operation Motorman

15-year-old school boy Daniel Hegarty who was shot in head by a soldier in Derry in 1972 during Operation Motorman

THE Public Prosecution Service has revealed it will not be prosecuting a soldier who shot and killed a teenager in Derry in 1972.

Daniel Hegarty, 15, was killed after he was shot during Operation Motorman in July 1972 – an attempt by the British Army to regain control of republican ‘no go’ areas in Derry and Belfast.

He was shot twice in the head by a member of an army patrol – ‘Soldier B’ – on duty close to his home in Creggan.

His 16-year-old cousin Christopher was also shot by the same soldier but survived.

After the shooting, soldiers claimed that the teenagers may have been armed or carrying a bomb.

Decisions not to prosecute were previously taken in 1973 and again in 2008.

An inquest in the 1970s returned an open verdict.

However, the case was re-examined by the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) and they found the RUC’s 1972 investigation had been “hopelessly inadequate and dreadful”.

That prompted the Attorney General to order a new inquest.

The file was subsequently referred back to the Director of Public Prosecutions by the coroner to consider if Soldier B should be prosecuted after the inquest found that Daniel Hegarty posed no threat.

On Tuesday the PPS confirmed it would not be pursuing a prosecution.

Assistant Director of Central Casework Michael Agnew said following careful consideration of all the available evidence and information, including the inquest’s findings, that there is no reasonable prospect of a conviction and the test for prosecution is not met.

Two experts were not able to state that the ballistics evidence is inconsistent with the account provided by Soldier B of the circumstances in which he fired, he explained.

“Our assessment remains that there is no reasonable prospect of proving to the criminal standard that Soldier B did not act in self-defence having formed a mistaken but honest belief that he was under imminent attack,” he said in a statement.

Mr Agnew added: “It is clear that in this tragic case there was no objective justification for the shots fired by Soldier B that morning.

“Neither Daniel nor his cousins posed any threat to Soldier B or his colleagues.

“However, in a criminal trial the court will be required to assess the conduct of Soldier B in the context of the circumstances as he believed, or may have believed, them to be.”

Mr Agnew confirmed that arrangements had been made to keep the family informed of progress in relation to the case and the Director of Public Prosecutions, Barra McGrory QC, has met with them to explain the outcome of the review.

He added: “I understand how disappointing this decision will be for the families involved, particularly in light of the findings returned by the inquest jury.

“We have sought to provide them with detailed reasons for our decision and to assure them that the decision was taken only after a most careful consideration of all of the available evidence.”

BRITISH SOLDIER WILL NOT BE CHARGED OVER KILLING OF TEENAGER IN DERRY was last modified: March 8th, 2016 by John

Tags:
BRITISH SOLDIER WILL NOT BE CHARGED OVER KILLING OF TEENAGER IN DERRYDANIEL HEGARTY
ShareTweet

LEAVE A COMMENT

You may also like

New baby monitor units arrive at Altnagelvin...

16 hours ago

Build a future in construction on fully...

17 hours ago

Durkan: Executive must act now or more...

19 hours ago

Police appeal over theft of Mercedes van

22 hours ago

Man released over stabbing incident in Derry

23 hours ago

Global talent descends on Derry for the...

23 hours ago

End to programme developed to tackle skills...

24 hours ago

Braidwater Group welcomes £11m funding to unlock...

2 days ago

Portstewart Strand voted best beach in the...

2 days ago

Durkan calls for pedestrian safety improvements along...

2 days ago

Keep in touch

Facebook Twitter Email

Features

  • Sun, sea, spectacular views, historical charm and fabulous food. Tunisia of course

    April 5, 2024
  • Magical trip to see Santa from Belfast

    December 20, 2023
  • DD Travel Feature: Cork’s amazing The Montenotte Hotel

    April 18, 2023
  • Derry cancer survivor Noeleen McMorris reveals importance of awareness

    July 25, 2022
  • Competition! Win tickets to Northern Ireland v England Women’s Euro 2022 match

    June 17, 2022

Courts

  • Man charged to court over Derry drugs seizure

    July 6, 2025
  • Drink-driver charged to court over Derry collision

    July 5, 2025
  • Derry priest faces seven more child sex charges

    July 4, 2025
  • Man charged with possessing indecent images of children

    July 4, 2025
  • Two men in court after £1.2m cannabis find near border

    July 3, 2025

Donegal Daily

    Read More

    • News
    • Sport
    • Courts
    • Jobs
    • Features
    • Business
    • Politics

    Information

    • Contact Us
    • About
    • Advertise WIth Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions
    Derry Daily

    © 2025 Derry Daily. All rights reserved.


    Back To Top

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy