O'LOAN UNDER PRESSURE TO ALTER HER REPORT ON OMAGH PROBE
O'Loan under pressure to alter her report on Omagh probe
BY JOHN McCUSKER
IN the days leading up the release of the Omagh bombing report, police ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan came under increasing pressure to dilute or tone down its content, the UlsterHerald has learned.
And it has also emerged that Mrs O'Loan will not be launching an inquiry into how extracts of the confidential document were leaked to journalists a week prior to its publication date.
Since details of the ombudsman's damning five month probe into how Special Branch dealt with an anonymous warning that an attack was planned for Omagh on August 15th 1998, the police ombudsman came under increasing pressure to revise its findings.
Two weeks prior to its publication, copies of the draft report and recommendations were delivered to both the Chief Constable of the Police Force for Northern Ireland Ronnie Flanagan and Secretary of State John Reid.
It is understood Mrs O'Loan set a deadline for submissions from the PSNI chief, but by that date Mr Flanagan had failed to respond. A police spokesman later said it was unlikely he would respond to the report before its publication as it contained "so many inaccuracies".
It is also understood Mr Flanagan did not respond to an offer made by Mrs O'Loan on Friday whereby if he outlined the deficiencies in her report as he saw them she would consider putting back the time of its release.
Following the leak of the document through the press Mrs O'Loan's office said it had no plans to launch a probe into how extracts had been passed to journalists.
Commenting on the matter, a spokesman said: "We are confident the leak did not come from this office." He added that no copies had been reported missing and police would not be called in to investigate the matter.
Since its launch last July, the police ombudsman's probe into the details surrounding the Omagh bombing has carried out a series of interviews with officers involved in the case.
Headed by former Metropolitan police officer, David Wood, a 10 strong team of detectives spent months sifting through evidence relating to the
Ombudsman does not plan to launch inquiry into how document was leaked attack. Four of his officers were former members of the Met force and ranged in rank from detective sergeant to detective chief inspector.
Prior to being seconded to the ombudsman's team, Mr Wood dealt with a series of murder inquiries with regional crime squads in England. He also helped set up Scotland complaints investigation branch which probes cases involving allegedly corrupt officers.
The Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman office was officially launched last November to investigate complaints against police. It was created as part of a radical overhaul of the police complaints system and replaced the independent Commission for Police Complaints.
The office manned by a 70 strong team investigating unit, includes a team of 40 experienced detectives recruited from police officers from Australia, South Africa, Hong Kong, HMS Customs and Excise and the Metropolitan Police. It is believed there are no former PSNI or Garda members.
The office as a whole has a staff if 105 and has an annual budget of �5.7m.
Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan is a qualified solicitor. She was the Senior Lecturer holding the Jean Monnet Chair in European law at the University of Ulster.
Mrs O'Loan has an interest in matters of law, the police and consumer rights for a long time.
In the past, she has been chairman of the NI Consumer Committee for Electricity; a member of the Police Authority; Vice-Chair of the Police Authority's Community Relation Committee; a member of the Northern Health and Social Services Board; a member of the General Consumer Council a legal expert member of the EC Consumers Consultative Council.
BY JOHN McCUSKER
IN the days leading up the release of the Omagh bombing report, police ombudsman, Nuala O'Loan came under increasing pressure to dilute or tone down its content, the UlsterHerald has learned.
And it has also emerged that Mrs O'Loan will not be launching an inquiry into how extracts of the confidential document were leaked to journalists a week prior to its publication date.
Since details of the ombudsman's damning five month probe into how Special Branch dealt with an anonymous warning that an attack was planned for Omagh on August 15th 1998, the police ombudsman came under increasing pressure to revise its findings.
Two weeks prior to its publication, copies of the draft report and recommendations were delivered to both the Chief Constable of the Police Force for Northern Ireland Ronnie Flanagan and Secretary of State John Reid.
It is understood Mrs O'Loan set a deadline for submissions from the PSNI chief, but by that date Mr Flanagan had failed to respond. A police spokesman later said it was unlikely he would respond to the report before its publication as it contained "so many inaccuracies".
It is also understood Mr Flanagan did not respond to an offer made by Mrs O'Loan on Friday whereby if he outlined the deficiencies in her report as he saw them she would consider putting back the time of its release.
Following the leak of the document through the press Mrs O'Loan's office said it had no plans to launch a probe into how extracts had been passed to journalists.
Commenting on the matter, a spokesman said: "We are confident the leak did not come from this office." He added that no copies had been reported missing and police would not be called in to investigate the matter.
Since its launch last July, the police ombudsman's probe into the details surrounding the Omagh bombing has carried out a series of interviews with officers involved in the case.
Headed by former Metropolitan police officer, David Wood, a 10 strong team of detectives spent months sifting through evidence relating to the
Ombudsman does not plan to launch inquiry into how document was leaked attack. Four of his officers were former members of the Met force and ranged in rank from detective sergeant to detective chief inspector.
Prior to being seconded to the ombudsman's team, Mr Wood dealt with a series of murder inquiries with regional crime squads in England. He also helped set up Scotland complaints investigation branch which probes cases involving allegedly corrupt officers.
The Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman office was officially launched last November to investigate complaints against police. It was created as part of a radical overhaul of the police complaints system and replaced the independent Commission for Police Complaints.
The office manned by a 70 strong team investigating unit, includes a team of 40 experienced detectives recruited from police officers from Australia, South Africa, Hong Kong, HMS Customs and Excise and the Metropolitan Police. It is believed there are no former PSNI or Garda members.
The office as a whole has a staff if 105 and has an annual budget of �5.7m.
Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan is a qualified solicitor. She was the Senior Lecturer holding the Jean Monnet Chair in European law at the University of Ulster.
Mrs O'Loan has an interest in matters of law, the police and consumer rights for a long time.
In the past, she has been chairman of the NI Consumer Committee for Electricity; a member of the Police Authority; Vice-Chair of the Police Authority's Community Relation Committee; a member of the Northern Health and Social Services Board; a member of the General Consumer Council a legal expert member of the EC Consumers Consultative Council.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0874
Published Date: 13-Dec-01
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