POLICE CHIEF MAY TAKE LEGAL ACTION
THE OMAGH REPORT
Police chief may take legal action
CHIEF Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan is considering legal action on a "personal and organisational basis" to have a critical report into the Omagh bombing by the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman quashed.
Speaking immediately after it was published, Sir Ronnie attacked the "basic unfairness" in the report by Nuala O'Loan which made "wild and sweeping conclusions". And, in a show of the emotion attached to the report, which said "failed leadership" hampered the investigation of the bombing, he said he would commit suicide in public if he believed the criticisms were true.
His confidence in the Ombudsman's Office had been shaken, he added, but he stopped short of calling on Mrs O'Loan to resign.
Those with the duty of conducting the investigation and compiling the report had little knowledge of how terrorist groups worked, he said.
He added: "I do not consider the report as any sort of fair or thorough or rigorous investigation.
"What has been presented to me is a report of an erroneous conclusion reached in advance, then a desperate attempt to find anything which might happen to fit in with that erroneous conclusion." He said he found the report to be gross "in terms of its basic unfairness" and its "sweeping conclusions about myself and about other colleagues without any of us being spoken to".
He added: "So gross is this, in fact, that legal advice is being taken both on a personal and organisational basis. On an organisational basis we are considering whether it may be appropriate to take legal remedy to have this report quashed."
He said senior officers from the Merseyside force would be travelling to Belfast to ensure an internal report by RUC officers into the bombing was implemented. But he said that report, drawn up by experienced RUC officers, had been "thrown back at us".
Sir Ronnie said he had the highest regard for Mrs O'Loan but condemned her investigating team: "I have to say that I am astounded by the ignorance that they have displayed in terms of how terrorist organisations operate."
Police chief may take legal action
CHIEF Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan is considering legal action on a "personal and organisational basis" to have a critical report into the Omagh bombing by the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman quashed.
Speaking immediately after it was published, Sir Ronnie attacked the "basic unfairness" in the report by Nuala O'Loan which made "wild and sweeping conclusions". And, in a show of the emotion attached to the report, which said "failed leadership" hampered the investigation of the bombing, he said he would commit suicide in public if he believed the criticisms were true.
His confidence in the Ombudsman's Office had been shaken, he added, but he stopped short of calling on Mrs O'Loan to resign.
Those with the duty of conducting the investigation and compiling the report had little knowledge of how terrorist groups worked, he said.
He added: "I do not consider the report as any sort of fair or thorough or rigorous investigation.
"What has been presented to me is a report of an erroneous conclusion reached in advance, then a desperate attempt to find anything which might happen to fit in with that erroneous conclusion." He said he found the report to be gross "in terms of its basic unfairness" and its "sweeping conclusions about myself and about other colleagues without any of us being spoken to".
He added: "So gross is this, in fact, that legal advice is being taken both on a personal and organisational basis. On an organisational basis we are considering whether it may be appropriate to take legal remedy to have this report quashed."
He said senior officers from the Merseyside force would be travelling to Belfast to ensure an internal report by RUC officers into the bombing was implemented. But he said that report, drawn up by experienced RUC officers, had been "thrown back at us".
Sir Ronnie said he had the highest regard for Mrs O'Loan but condemned her investigating team: "I have to say that I am astounded by the ignorance that they have displayed in terms of how terrorist organisations operate."
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0805
Published Date: 13-Dec-01
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