'Decision not to prosecute soldier under protest'

A former soldier charged with murdering a 15-year-old boy in Londonderry in 1972 will not stand trial, the teenager's family has said.

Daniel Hegarty, 15, was shot twice in the head during an Army operation near his home in Creggan in July 1972.

The Army veteran, known as Soldier B, was charged in 2019 with murdering him and wounding his cousin.

Des Doherty, a solicitor for Daniel Hegarty's family, said they were informed of the decision by the head of the Public Prosecution Service, Stephen Herron, on Friday.

An inquest in 2011 found Daniel Hegarty posed no risk and was shot without warning as the Army moved in to clear "no-go" areas during Operation Motorman.

Court proceedings relating to Soldier B had not yet begun.

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