FLANAGAN AIDES DISPUTE HIS VERSION OF THE OMAGH BOMB INVESTIGATION
Flanagan aides dispute his version of the Omagh bomb investigation
BY ROSETTA DONNELLY
TWO of Northern Ireland's most senior police officers have provided affidavits which will be used by the Police Ombudsman's offices to defend their controversial report on the Omagh bomb investigation.
Former chief constable, Ronnie Flanagan was embroiled in fresh controversy yesterday when it was disclosed that two of his senior officers were contesting claims that they played key roles in the Omagh bomb inquiry.
The two assistant chief constables, Alan McQuillan and Sam Kincaid have signed affidavits emphatically refuting intimations that they, as regional chiefs, had responsibility for the investigation rather than Sir Ronnie and the then head of crime, Raymond White.
The documents were lodged in Belfast high court in connection with the Police Association's legal challenge to ombudsman Nuala O'Loan's report on Omagh.
SLAMMED
In the report published in December, Mrs O'Loan slammed Sir Ronnie and Assistant Chief Constable White's handling of the inquiry into the Real IRA car bomb.
Both statements maintain the Omagh inquiry was run from the top, with Sir Ronnie and Mr White bypassing regional officers to take control of many aspects of the murder hunt.
The papers contradict an affidavit from Mr White, who retired from the force last month, in which he said that he had a restricted role in the bomb inquiry, and that the regional team was fully briefed on a crucial internal report, of which one of the other senior officers said he was not aware.
'NO STONE UNTURNED'
Just after the bombing, Sir Ronnie personally pledged that "no stone would be left unturned" in the hunt to bring to justice the perpetrators of the biggest single act of murder in 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland.
Yet the ombudsman's report highlighted a catalogue of errors in the investigation and slated him for poor leadership and lack of judgement. Almost four years on, only one man, Colm Murphy, has been jailed for conspiracy to cause an explosion. The Northern Ireland police have not charged anyone in connection with the bombing.
RESPONSIBILITY
Michael Gallagher, whose son Adrian died in the bombing, said Sir Ronnie and Mr White were clearly heavily involved in the inquiry but had refused to take responsibility for the mistakes which let down the families and police on the ground.
The affidavits, from two of Sir Ronnie's highest ranking men, will be a huge embarrassment for the former police chief, who has just been appointed as an inspector of constabulary.
Alan McQuillan, the assistant chief constable for Belfast assumed a high media profile during the Holy Cross dispute in Ardoyne, and is one of three men being interviewed for Sir Ronnie's job.
He was assistant chief constable for the north region (the area including Omagh) from September 1998 to February 2000. The other is from Sam Kincaid, who took over as north's assistant chief constable in April 2001.
COMMAND
Mr Kincaid said that Mr White's crime department, not the regional office, spearheaded the Omagh investigation, with the line of command going from Sir Ronnie to Mr White to Eric Anderson, the head of the murder team, and several confidential reports that went straight to Sir Ronnie or Mr White.
But Mr White claimed his involvement with Omagh was restricted to selecting and training a team of officers to undertake the internal review, carried out from March to November 2000, which he said was made available to the investigation team and the regional assistant chief constable.
AFFIDAVIT
In his affidavit, Mr McQuillan said he was clear that his position as ACC north gave him only a peripheral role in the Omagh inquiry and neither Sir Ronnie nor Mr White ever asked him for information, showed him progress reports, or suggested he had responsibility for the investigation.
Mrs O'Loan's report also criticised special branch for failing to act before or after the bombing on two pieces of intelligence it received beforehand, one about a bomb being made for an unknown target in Northern Ireland, the other about a possible terrorist attack in the Omagh area.
BY ROSETTA DONNELLY
TWO of Northern Ireland's most senior police officers have provided affidavits which will be used by the Police Ombudsman's offices to defend their controversial report on the Omagh bomb investigation.
Former chief constable, Ronnie Flanagan was embroiled in fresh controversy yesterday when it was disclosed that two of his senior officers were contesting claims that they played key roles in the Omagh bomb inquiry.
The two assistant chief constables, Alan McQuillan and Sam Kincaid have signed affidavits emphatically refuting intimations that they, as regional chiefs, had responsibility for the investigation rather than Sir Ronnie and the then head of crime, Raymond White.
The documents were lodged in Belfast high court in connection with the Police Association's legal challenge to ombudsman Nuala O'Loan's report on Omagh.
SLAMMED
In the report published in December, Mrs O'Loan slammed Sir Ronnie and Assistant Chief Constable White's handling of the inquiry into the Real IRA car bomb.
Both statements maintain the Omagh inquiry was run from the top, with Sir Ronnie and Mr White bypassing regional officers to take control of many aspects of the murder hunt.
The papers contradict an affidavit from Mr White, who retired from the force last month, in which he said that he had a restricted role in the bomb inquiry, and that the regional team was fully briefed on a crucial internal report, of which one of the other senior officers said he was not aware.
'NO STONE UNTURNED'
Just after the bombing, Sir Ronnie personally pledged that "no stone would be left unturned" in the hunt to bring to justice the perpetrators of the biggest single act of murder in 30 years of violence in Northern Ireland.
Yet the ombudsman's report highlighted a catalogue of errors in the investigation and slated him for poor leadership and lack of judgement. Almost four years on, only one man, Colm Murphy, has been jailed for conspiracy to cause an explosion. The Northern Ireland police have not charged anyone in connection with the bombing.
RESPONSIBILITY
Michael Gallagher, whose son Adrian died in the bombing, said Sir Ronnie and Mr White were clearly heavily involved in the inquiry but had refused to take responsibility for the mistakes which let down the families and police on the ground.
The affidavits, from two of Sir Ronnie's highest ranking men, will be a huge embarrassment for the former police chief, who has just been appointed as an inspector of constabulary.
Alan McQuillan, the assistant chief constable for Belfast assumed a high media profile during the Holy Cross dispute in Ardoyne, and is one of three men being interviewed for Sir Ronnie's job.
He was assistant chief constable for the north region (the area including Omagh) from September 1998 to February 2000. The other is from Sam Kincaid, who took over as north's assistant chief constable in April 2001.
COMMAND
Mr Kincaid said that Mr White's crime department, not the regional office, spearheaded the Omagh investigation, with the line of command going from Sir Ronnie to Mr White to Eric Anderson, the head of the murder team, and several confidential reports that went straight to Sir Ronnie or Mr White.
But Mr White claimed his involvement with Omagh was restricted to selecting and training a team of officers to undertake the internal review, carried out from March to November 2000, which he said was made available to the investigation team and the regional assistant chief constable.
AFFIDAVIT
In his affidavit, Mr McQuillan said he was clear that his position as ACC north gave him only a peripheral role in the Omagh inquiry and neither Sir Ronnie nor Mr White ever asked him for information, showed him progress reports, or suggested he had responsibility for the investigation.
Mrs O'Loan's report also criticised special branch for failing to act before or after the bombing on two pieces of intelligence it received beforehand, one about a bomb being made for an unknown target in Northern Ireland, the other about a possible terrorist attack in the Omagh area.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/1026
Published Date: 23-May-02
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