APPENDIX 9
Memorandum submitted by Omagh Support
and Self Help Group
I am writing in my capacity as chairman of the
above group and as a bereaved father of our 21 year old son Adrian
who was murdered in the 1998 Omagh bomb.
This is a statement of evidence as our experience
of the Ombudsman's office and their involvement in the Omagh bomb
investigation.
For the first three years of the police inquiry,
the families of this atrocity believed there was an effective
investigation by the RUC, we received repeated assurances that
everything was being done to catch the bombers.
A review of the investigation was commissioned
in March 2000 by ACC crime again we were told everything was in
order, we inquired about co-operation with the Garda to be assured
that everything was working well. It was with alarm that we read
in a Sunday newspaper on 29 July 2001 that a former security agent
named Kevin Fultan was alleging that he had passed on information
that a large bomb was being prepared south of the border, he gave
this information to his RUC handler and was recorded in the system
but not acted upon. When we asked about Fulton, we were told these
allegations were not true.
On 14 August 2001 the Police Ombudsman decided
to carry out a formal investigation as a matter of public interest.
On the morning of 15 August 2001 the third anniversary I heard
the person who was to head this investigation Detective Superintendent
Martin Bridger speak on Radio Ulster about how the investigation
would work. I never had any contact with the Ombudsman's office
or had any knowledge of how it works but felt that the allegations
were of such concern that they should be investigated and I publicly
supported this investigation because I was assured of it's independence.
It went on to identify a number of major deficiencies
in the investigation and the failure of the Chief Constable to
implement the recommendations of the McVicar Review.
The miss-handling of intelligence by Special
branch and the fact the Omagh review team were unaware of the
Fulton intelligence, the Ombudsman also revealed that significant
intelligence was held by Special Branch and was not shared with
the Omagh Investigation team or the reviewing team. The Ombudsman's
team also revealed eight other bombings in 1998 which they believed
were linked to Omagh.
The Ombudsman's report was given to the families
on 4 September 2001 there then began a very public disagreement
between the Chief Constable and the Ombudsman's office. After
listening to both parties, the families supported the Ombudsman's
findings and as a result of the report and the six recommendations
set out in it the criminal investigation by the PSNI is now back
on the rails.
The Investigation Team under the leadership
of Superintendent Norman Baxter is making good progress towards
convicting one person in the north for the Omagh bombing and has
linked the previous bombings as initially identified by the Ombudsman's
office. This now very live investigation could have been closed
down three years ago, but for the very professional and impartial
inquiry by a truly dedicated team of experienced officers from
the Ombudsman's office, who continue to be in the very public
and often critical spotlight. This work cannot be underestimated
and is often thankless, it should be supported and stregenthed
by all sections of the community.
If there is any criticism it is that the Ombudsman's
Office has not got the power or recourses to investigate more
sensitive areas of intelligence which often impact on serious
crime in Northern Ireland such as military intelligence and national
security.
19 March 2004
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