A mother pleaded with a loyalist gang to kill her instead of her teenage son, according to a new report about the sectarian murder, in which state collusion is evident.

Gerard O’Hara was shot dead in north Belfast on September 27, 1992, 33 years ago on Saturday.

The 18-year-old schoolboy, whose nickname was ‘Soggy’, was at home with his mother Bridie when a unionist paramilitary murder gang smashed their way into their home and opened fire.

During the callous attack Bridie pleaded with the killers to take her life instead of her sons.

The O’Hara family believe there was collusion in the murder, which took place close to North Queen Street RUC police barracks and a nearby British army observation post.

An RUC checkpoint was also set up close to the family family shortly before the killer gang struck.

In the days after the attack, graffiti appeared in the Limestone Road area saying “Soggy RIP Morris is next” - believed to be a reference to Gerard’s brother Maurice, who was a former republican prisoner.

Gerard’s mother Bridie, who died on her 70th birthday in 2010, never recovered from witnessing the murder of her son and suffered from post traumatic stress disorder.

Her family has now launched a private report into murder.

In a statement, the O’Hara family said the launch wasn’t just about remembering Gerard, but also about “truth, justice and legacy”.

“That tragic evening changed the family forever,” it said.

“It wasn’t just the brutality of the murder that marked our lives; it was the silence, the years of unanswered questions, the obstructions and the lies.

“This was not just the act of two gunmen; Gerard’s murder was steeped in collusion of the British state working hand in hand with loyalist paramilitaries.”

The family said the report is a response to those who have denied his family the truth.

“For 33 years, that truth has been resisted not just by those who pulled the trigger, but by those in power who enabled it, those who knew and chose to look the other way,” they said.

“This report is the answer to that silence.”

And they added: “To our extended family, to the younger generation, we pass this report to you. Take it, read it, know it and never let the truth be buried.

“To those who still deny what happened, we are not afraid of you; we are still here, and we will not be silenced.”

Quoted by the Irish News, Irati Oleaga, of Relatives for Justice, which compiled the report said: “For more than three decades, they have shown tremendous courage and determination, ensuring the truth of what happened cannot be buried.

“Their example resonates with many other families who continue to challenge silence and denial around conflict-related killings, especially now as the British government’s Legacy Act has unlawfully shut down human rights-compliant avenues and caused further hurt to bereaved families.”