Solicitor Peter Madden of Madden and Finucane has welcomed the announcement by the Saville inquiry into the Bloody Sunday massacre that it is to put back its starting date for hearing public evidence.

This second postponement comes after the start date was put back from September this year to February next year. No new date has been set.

The announcement has been linked to a change in the British Ministry of Defence's `ability' to locate some of the 3,000 British soldiers in Derry that day. Initially the MoD had claimed it was only able to trace ten British soldiers.

Madden also said the huge amount of evidence generated by the appeals for civilian witnesses had meant it would be impossible to sift through all the new evidence by the February deadline.

The delay has also been welcomed by relatives. John Kelly, whose brother Michael was one of the men murdered, said, ``We want the truth [and] if it means waiting another few months, we are happy to do that.''

Appeal for Motorman witnesses

The Pat Finucane Centre, the Derry based human rights group, is appealing for witnesses to the July 1972 murder of 15 year old Daniel Hegarty in Creggan on the morning of operation Motorman by the British Army.

During the military operation British soldiers opened fire on three teenagers in Creggan Heights, killing Daniel and injuring his cousin. In a separate incident IRA Volunteer Seamus Bradley was also shot dead by the British Army that morning.

Appealing for witnesses to the actual shooting or to incidents when the ambulance taking Daniel to hospital was stopped twice and searched at the bottom of Bligh's Lane and at the Grotto in the Brandywell the Pat Finucane Centre has asked witnesses to contact them on: (01504) 268846 between 2 and 5pm weekdays and ask for Niall.