Creeslough father demands public inquiry four years after explosion killed his daughter

Four years after an explosion devastated a small County Donegal village, the father of one of the ten people killed has spoken of his family's ongoing anguish, describing their search for answers as "torture and torment."

Leona Harper was just 14 years old when she died in the blast at a service station in Creeslough on 7 October 2022. She had travelled to the village for a sleepover and was heading into the shop to buy ice-cream when the explosion occurred.

Her father, Hugh Harper, said the family home remains a shrine to their lost daughter. Leona's coat still hangs in the hallway. The soil from the pitch where she played her final rugby match remains on her boots. Her bedroom has been left exactly as it was.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, Mr Harper said the passage of time has brought no comfort and no clarity. "You are trying to establish answers yourself, but it takes you down a maze of rabbit holes," he said. "One question leads to another and it just feels like torture and torment."

No official explanation has ever been provided for what caused the explosion. Despite a number of arrests, no one has been charged in connection with the blast. An Garda Síochána, the Irish police force, sent a second file to the Director of Public Prosecutions in April, in addition to a primary file forwarded last September.

Mr Harper said the lack of accountability has left the family unable to process their loss. "We go home every evening to a house that's not the same. We are still trying to adjust to that," he said. "You never expect something like this to come to your door as a parent, and when it does, and it was so sudden, it is very hard."

The Harpers are among a group of victims' families campaigning for a public inquiry into the explosion. In July, a meeting was held in Dublin between the families and Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Mr Harper believes such an inquiry is the only mechanism capable of establishing the full facts.

"We are steadfast on that. A public inquiry is the only tool to compel people to be questioned under oath and get definitive answers," he said. "Leona went to Creeslough on a Friday afternoon and went into a shop. That's the last we seen or heard of her alive."

The emotional toll on the family was laid bare as Mr Harper described how grief has become suspended, unable to progress without knowing what happened in Leona's final moments. "Every day, we grieve for our little girl. We are stuck on the 7th October 2022," he said. "When I get up in the morning, the first thought I have is about Leona and the questions around her last moments. Until we have answers, our grief is frozen in time."

Mr Harper also spoke of the promise he made when his daughter was born. "When Leona was born, I was the first to hold her," he said. "I made her a promise that I would keep her safe and not let anything happen to her, and unfortunately, I couldn't keep that promise. But even though Leona is not physically here, I feel she is still with me. I will continue with the promise, even in death."

He vowed to protect his daughter's name and to pursue the truth relentlessly. "I will do my best to protect her name and get to the bottom of exactly what happened in Creeslough that day," he said. "I will leave no stone unturned."

A commemoration service is due to take place on Wednesday in Creeslough to remember the ten victims of the explosion. Mr Harper confirmed the family will travel to the village for the event.

In a statement to BBC News NI, a spokesperson for the Irish Department of Justice said: "As the fourth anniversary of the Creeslough explosion tragedy approaches, Minister Jim O'Callaghan's thoughts continue to be with the families, loved ones, survivors and the wider community of Creeslough."

The department added that the focus of the investigation remains on ensuring that the investigative processes are allowed to proceed independently and without prejudice so that the full facts can be established.

Gardaí also issued a statement saying "the victims, their families and the community are in our thoughts" on the anniversary. The force renewed its appeal for anyone with information about the fatal explosion to come forward and speak to investigators.