LAW MAN HIGHLY CRITICAL OF POLICE'S HANDLING OF 1998 ATROCITY INQUIRY
Law man 'highly critical of police's handling of 1998 atrocity inquiry'
THE senior Northern Ireland judge who acquitted the man accused of the Omagh bombing has been subjected to thinly veiled criticism in a report by two former top policemen. They described part of his judgment as amounting to I speculation. Mr Reginald Weir, pictured, delivered his judgment acquitting Sean Hoey of all changes connected to the atrocity and a series of bombings claimed by the Real IRA last year.
He was highly critical of the police handling of the case and accused a detective sergeant and a PSNI scenes of crime officer of a "deliberate and calculated deception".
He referred the evidence of the two to the Police Ombudsman and a report of his investigation is still awaited.
But the Policing Board instigated its own independent review of the case and brought in Sir Dan Crompton and David Blakey, both former chief constables and ex-HM Inspectors of Constabulary, to examine issues arising from the judgment. In their report, published yesterday and adopted by the board only by majority view, they questioned the judge.
In his judgment, Mr Justice Weir said others involved in the investigation and preparation of the case may have been involved in the deliberate and calculated deception. The report from Sir Dan and Mr Blakey said it had been a very difficult and long running trial for Mr Justice Weir with a requirement to handle huge volumes of information - some of it highly contentious.
It went on: "Nevertheless, we were left wondering why this passage was included in the 'judgment'. "In such a high-profile case every single word, finding or suggestion is likely to be rigorously examined by interested parties. "We conclude that the 'judgment' in this respect amounted to speculation by Mr Justice Weir but we (and others) are left uninformed as to what triggered that speculation." The two police officers were accused in the trial by defence counsel of having "beefed up" statements. The review said it was later taken up by the judge but, it said, such a term could have more than one interpretation.
The review also upheld a decision by a PSNI deputy chief constable not to suspend the two officers - Philip Marshall who has since risen to the rank of detective chief inspector and scenes of crime officer Fiona Cooper, who is now a PSNI constable - from duty after the judge's criticism of them and referral of the case to the police ombudsman.
Ian Graham PA
THE senior Northern Ireland judge who acquitted the man accused of the Omagh bombing has been subjected to thinly veiled criticism in a report by two former top policemen. They described part of his judgment as amounting to I speculation. Mr Reginald Weir, pictured, delivered his judgment acquitting Sean Hoey of all changes connected to the atrocity and a series of bombings claimed by the Real IRA last year.
He was highly critical of the police handling of the case and accused a detective sergeant and a PSNI scenes of crime officer of a "deliberate and calculated deception".
He referred the evidence of the two to the Police Ombudsman and a report of his investigation is still awaited.
But the Policing Board instigated its own independent review of the case and brought in Sir Dan Crompton and David Blakey, both former chief constables and ex-HM Inspectors of Constabulary, to examine issues arising from the judgment. In their report, published yesterday and adopted by the board only by majority view, they questioned the judge.
In his judgment, Mr Justice Weir said others involved in the investigation and preparation of the case may have been involved in the deliberate and calculated deception. The report from Sir Dan and Mr Blakey said it had been a very difficult and long running trial for Mr Justice Weir with a requirement to handle huge volumes of information - some of it highly contentious.
It went on: "Nevertheless, we were left wondering why this passage was included in the 'judgment'. "In such a high-profile case every single word, finding or suggestion is likely to be rigorously examined by interested parties. "We conclude that the 'judgment' in this respect amounted to speculation by Mr Justice Weir but we (and others) are left uninformed as to what triggered that speculation." The two police officers were accused in the trial by defence counsel of having "beefed up" statements. The review said it was later taken up by the judge but, it said, such a term could have more than one interpretation.
The review also upheld a decision by a PSNI deputy chief constable not to suspend the two officers - Philip Marshall who has since risen to the rank of detective chief inspector and scenes of crime officer Fiona Cooper, who is now a PSNI constable - from duty after the judge's criticism of them and referral of the case to the police ombudsman.
Ian Graham PA
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0957
Published Date: 10-Jul-08
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