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Wednesday, 12 December, 2001, 21:57 GMT
Omagh bomb report 'grossly unfair'
![]() The Omagh bomb left 29 people dead
Northern Ireland's chief constable is considering taking legal action to have a critical report on the police handling of the Omagh bomb inquiry quashed.
The report into the force's handling of the investigation into the 1998 Real IRA bombing was published on Wednesday by Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan. It concluded the judgement and leadership of Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan, and the assistant chief constable of the crime division, was "seriously flawed". The families of some of the 29 people who died in the attack are calling for a public inquiry following the publication of the report.
However, speaking at a news conference on Wednesday evening, Sir Ronnie said he considered the report to represent neither a "fair, thorough or rigorous investigation". He said he was considering legal action on a "personal and organisational basis". He added: "I consider it to be a report of an erroneous conclusion reached in advance and then a desperate attempt to find anything that might happen to fit in with that, and a determination to exclude anything which does not fit that erroneous conclusion."
And, in an emotional statement, Sir Ronnie said that if he believed the allegations in the report had been true "I would not only resign, I would publicly commit suicide". The Omagh bombing was the worst single incident in the 30 years of the Troubles. Mrs O'Loan presented the details of her report after she personally supplied a summary version to the families of those bereaved and injured in Omagh.
She said that as a result, the chances of detaining and convicting the Omagh bombers had been significantly reduced Before outlining the report, Mrs O'Loan said she wanted to stress that the people responsible for the Omagh bomb were those who planned and executed it. Mrs O'Loan has recommended a senior police officer from an outside force be asked to conduct an investigation into the bombing. Her report also recommends a review into the role and function of Special Branch which is heavily criticised for not passing on intelligence information about an attack. Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid welcomed Mrs O'Loan's conclusion that "nothing should detract from the guilt of the evil people who planted the bomb in Omagh". He added: " I note that nowhere does she conclude that the bomb could have been prevented - this was a point I wanted to emphasise last week because it is so crucial to the families." Key recommendations of the police ombudsman:
Lawrence Rush, whose wife Libby died in the bombing, said that having spoken to the ombudsman, it appeared the bombing could have been prevented. He called on Sir Ronnie Flanagan to resign. "There is absolutely no reason why Omagh should have happened. The police have been in dereliction of their duty to protect my wife and the citizens of Omagh and Northern Ireland," he added. Kevin Skelton, who also lost his wife in the bombing, said he felt the police in Omagh had done their best, but those above them in the force had not. Calling for a public inquiry, he said: "I am very shocked. I feel absolutely betrayed." |
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12 Dec 01 | N Ireland
12 Dec 01 | N Ireland
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