POLICE WITHDRAW OMAGH CHALLENGE
Police withdraw Omagh challenge
POLICE chiefs last night dropped a legal bid to overturn a damning assessment of their investigation into the Omagh bomb atrocity.
The devastating report issued by Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan on the inquiry into the Real IRA bomb attack which killed 29 people still stands after both sides reached agreement at the High Court in Belfast.
Mrs O'Loan has conceded she should have given former Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan more time before she published the controversial paper in December 2001.
Outside the court, she said: "I'm very pleased because my report still stands.
"The challenge has been withdrawn and I have been very concerned about the Omagh families over the past year, but they can now rest content that the report remains."
The Police Association, which represents senior officers and, rank and file members, had applied for a judicial review of Mrs O'Loan's findings, claiming her report was grossly unfair.
Her scathing findings on how police handled the investigation into the huge car bomb attack on the Co Tyrone town in August 1998, Northern Ireland's worst ever terrorist outrage, left senior officers shocked and furious.
She claimed the inquiry had been hampered by "defective leadership, poor judgment and a lack of urgency".
Sir Ronnie was also singled out for criticism, with the Ombudsman accusing him of "seriously flawed judgment".
Her comments prompted the ex-Chief Constable to a public outburst when he pledged to publicly commit suicide if her allegations were proved.
He was named as one of the applicants seeking a judicial review, but after both sides' legal teams spent hours wrangling a compromise was reached.
It was agreed that the litigation should be discontinued while the Ombudsman accepted, with hindsight, that senior Police Service of Northern Ireland officers should have been given better notice of the allegations against them and more than the two weeks granted for a response before the document was published.
A statement read out in court said: "The parties consider that this resolution of their differences is in the public interest."
The judge, Mr Justice Kerr, praised both sides for being able to settle a complex dispute.
He said: "I was happy to give to the parties the time necessary to reach what I consider to be a commendable disposal of this very difficult litigation."
POLICE chiefs last night dropped a legal bid to overturn a damning assessment of their investigation into the Omagh bomb atrocity.
The devastating report issued by Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan on the inquiry into the Real IRA bomb attack which killed 29 people still stands after both sides reached agreement at the High Court in Belfast.
Mrs O'Loan has conceded she should have given former Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan more time before she published the controversial paper in December 2001.
Outside the court, she said: "I'm very pleased because my report still stands.
"The challenge has been withdrawn and I have been very concerned about the Omagh families over the past year, but they can now rest content that the report remains."
The Police Association, which represents senior officers and, rank and file members, had applied for a judicial review of Mrs O'Loan's findings, claiming her report was grossly unfair.
Her scathing findings on how police handled the investigation into the huge car bomb attack on the Co Tyrone town in August 1998, Northern Ireland's worst ever terrorist outrage, left senior officers shocked and furious.
She claimed the inquiry had been hampered by "defective leadership, poor judgment and a lack of urgency".
Sir Ronnie was also singled out for criticism, with the Ombudsman accusing him of "seriously flawed judgment".
Her comments prompted the ex-Chief Constable to a public outburst when he pledged to publicly commit suicide if her allegations were proved.
He was named as one of the applicants seeking a judicial review, but after both sides' legal teams spent hours wrangling a compromise was reached.
It was agreed that the litigation should be discontinued while the Ombudsman accepted, with hindsight, that senior Police Service of Northern Ireland officers should have been given better notice of the allegations against them and more than the two weeks granted for a response before the document was published.
A statement read out in court said: "The parties consider that this resolution of their differences is in the public interest."
The judge, Mr Justice Kerr, praised both sides for being able to settle a complex dispute.
He said: "I was happy to give to the parties the time necessary to reach what I consider to be a commendable disposal of this very difficult litigation."
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/460
Published Date: 24-Jan-03
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