4 June 2014
Police Ombudsman takes police to court over obstructing murder cases
THE North’s Police Ombudsman has launched legal proceedings against the PSNI over obstructing investigations into allegations against the police in 60 murders with more than 100 refusals for information.
Michael Maguire is accusing the PSNI of blocking his investigations by refusing to provide his investigators with material:
“We cannot have a situation where any public body, and particularly the police, can decide whether or not it will co-operate with a criminal or misconduct investigation, particularly where legislation requires them to do so.”
Among the cases affected are those of six men shot dead by the UVF in Loughinisland, County Down, in 1994 as they watched an Ireland World Cup soccer match.
UVF killer Mark Haddock was identified in a report by one of Maguire’s predecessors, Nuala O’Loan, as having involved in the Loughinisland attack and numerous other killings. He was subsequently exposed as a long-standing RUC Special Branch agent.
Sinn Féin MLA Caitríona Ruane, who sits on the Policing Board, accused the PSNI of obstructing the Ombudsman’s investigations.
She said the refusal of the PSNI to provide information to the Ombudsman, Michael Maguire, “is entirely unacceptable and we will be raising this at the Policing Board on Thursday”. She added:
“The PSNI are duty bound through legislation to furnish the Ombudsman’s office with any documents or information that is required for investigations. Instead what we see is obstructions or refusals by the PSNI on over 100 requests from the Ombudsman.
“This is affecting several key and high-profile cases in which families such as those in Loughinisland are seeking the truth and will damage overall confidence in the PSNI.
“It is therefore not surprising that the Ombudsman has been forced to take this action against Chief Constable Matt Baggott.”
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