Soldier who killed Daniel Hegarty may face charges

Northern Ireland’s senior coroner has asked the Public Prosecution Service to consider if a soldier who killed a Derry teenager should be prosecuted.
John Leckey made the request after an inquest jury found that Daniel Hegarty posed no threat when he was shot dead by the soldier in Creggan in 1972.
He said it was the appropriate course of action given the jury’s verdict.
The coroner is legally bound to refer cases to the PPS where it appears an offence has been committed.
Daniel, who was a labourer, was shot twice in the head by a soldier close to his home in Creggan. His cousin, 16-year-old Christopher, was shot in the head by the same soldier but survived.
The shootings happened during Operation Motorman in July 1972.
Earlier this month, the jury rejected claims that warnings had been shouted to the two teenagers before they were shot.
The operation was aimed at reclaiming “no go areas” in the city from the IRA.
The jury also found that none of the soldiers present attempted to “approach the injured youths to either search them or provide medical assistance”.
Following the verdict, the solicitor for the Hegarty family, Des Doherty, said the record had now been “set straight”.