Catholic PSNI member in probe controversy

A top-ranking Catholic PSNI man, Peter McAuley, who was in the midst of investigating links between the PSNI and the UDA, suddenly found himself subjected to an internal probe over allegations of harassment and bullying.

At the centre of McAuley's probe was an alleged leak from his barracks in Ballymoney to unionist paramilitaries about a June visit to the town by Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness.

When McGuinness arrived outside local council offices, an angry unionist mob, bussed into Ballymoney from Bushmills, attacked him and his entourage.

Loyalists surrounded the vehicle the former Education Minister was travelling in as he and party colleagues prepared to meet with a number of groups from the area. Stones and bottles were thrown and the mob kicked and hammered the car before Sinn Féin representatives were finally able to escape.

Following the attack an investigation was launched at both the town hall and local PSNI barracks as part of an effort to discover how the UDA had acquired details of McGuinness's trip.

McAuley was investigating the leak, which was suspected to have come from within the Ballymoney barracks, and had discovered that one officer from the barracks had made a call to the mobile number of a known unionist paramilitary.

"But before he could act," say reports, "he was told that he was being investigated by Internal Investigations Branch over allegations of bullying and harassment."

McAuley was informed that he was to be investigated last month. He has been temporarily replaced at Ballymoney district command.