Daniel Hegarty family: ‘If it takes another 50 years, we’ll fight on for truth and justice’

Daniel Hegarty was just 15-years-old when he was shot twice in the head by a British soldier in July 1972.

The shooting happened during Operation Motorman – a British Army bid to retake the no-go areas of Derry.

Daniel, who had gone to watch the military operation, was shot after encountering an Army patrol in the Creggan Heights area in the early hours of July 31, 1972. His cousin, Christopher (16), was also wounded in the incident.

A 2011 inquest found that Daniel had been unarmed and was posing no threat when shot.

In 2019, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) announced its intention to prosecute a soldier, known as Soldier B, for the teenager’s murder as well as the wounding with intent of his cousin.

However, last summer, the PPS said the prosecution was to be halted. The decision followed a review of a number of cases by the PPS in light of a court ruling that caused the collapse of another Troubles murder trial involving two military veterans.

Margaret Brady, a younger sister of Daniel Hegarty, says that, in spite of this legal ruling, the family’s fight for truth and justice will continue.

“It took us fifty long and tortuous years to get this far and, if it takes another fifty years to get justice, then so be it,” she said this week.

“When I’m dead and gone, my family know it is their job to continue the fight. This has never been about revenge or hatred. It’s not a witch-hunt, as some people suggest. All we have ever wanted is justice.

“Just because you wear a uniform, you shouldn’t be allowed to get away with murder. If you commit murder, you should stand trial. Nobody, and I mean nobody, should be above the law.”

Mrs Brady recalled her big brother as someone who was “full of fun”and always “playing jokes” on everyone.

“I’ve always wondered what he would have been like as a father with his own children,” she added. “But he was robbed of that chance.”

Mrs Brady said her family was never the same again following Daniel’s death.

“It wasn’t talked about. It was too painful. My mother and father just shut down - they were utterly heartbroken. I remember coming home from school to find them sitting in tears.

“My mother would often put out a plate at the dinner table for Daniel and, then, suddenly realise what she’d done. She was so distraught.

“In normal circumstances, you would never be able to get over the loss of a child, but to lose a child the way we lost Daniel is unbearable. I can’t imagine how my parents must have felt.”

This Sunday, July 31, a memorial plaque will be unveiled at the spot on Creggan Heights where Daniel was shot dead. The event will take place at 2pm.