Family told name of soldier accused of teen's death

Daniel Hegarty was 15 years old when he was shot on 31 July 1972 in Londonderry

The identity of a deceased British soldier who had been accused of murdering a 15-year-old in Londonderry more than 50 years ago has been revealed to the teenager's family.

Daniel Hegarty was shot while the British Army moved into the Creggan area of Derry on 31 July 1972.

Previously known only as Soldier B, the serviceman who died last year, will now have his full name mentioned in future court proceedings and included in all legal documentation after the ex-soldier's relatives mounted no objection to ending his ongoing anonymity.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the release of the name but said due to ongoing litigation "it would be inappropriate to comment further".

'I broke down and cried'

Margaret Brady, one of Daniel's sisters, is pursuing a civil action against the MoD over the alleged unlawful killing of her brother.

She said hearing the soldier's name for the first time over the phone from her solicitor, Desmond Doherty, was a surreal and emotional moment.

"When I heard his name for the first time, I stopped and I didn't speak for a couple of seconds and then I broke down and cried, " Ms Brady told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme.

"Now, I can say his name now as many times as I want and all the [court] documents are going to be changed and his name is going to be on them."

She said revealing the soldier's name after 52 years is "a significant step" for their family.

Both Margaret and her sister Catherine admitted there was an element of sadness in that their parents and their sister, Philomena, died before knowing his identity.

Ms Brady reiterated that their family wished no ill-will towards the deceased soldier or his family and said that by now knowing the name it "adds a human element to the entirety of the tragic events surrounding the death of Daniel".

"We have never got over Daniel's death," she said.

Ms Brady said Daniel's birthday is next week and they will do what they do every year, visit his grave as a family and place flowers on his headstone.

"We miss him every day and his death wrecked our family, we never really recovered from it," she said.

Margaret Brady says knowing the soldier's name is hugely significant

An initial inquest into Daniel's death was held in 1973 and recorded an open verdict.

A second inquest was ordered by the Attorney General in 2009 following an examination by the Historical Enquiries Team.

In 2011, an inquest jury unanimously found that the teenager posed no risk and had been shot without warning.

His cousin, Christopher Hegarty, was also wounded in the same incident.

The former serviceman, then known only as Soldier B, had been facing prosecution for Daniel’s murder.

Criminal proceedings against him were at one stage discontinued after the separate trial of two former paratroopers accused of another Troubles-era killing collapsed.

In June last year, senior judges in Belfast quashed the Public Prosecution Service’s decision to drop the case against Soldier B.

He died two months later, ending any prospect of him ever standing trial.