ORMEAU ROAD FAMILIES RESPONSE TO NEWS THAT POLICE CONTINUE TO UNCOVER SENSITIVE INFORMATION NOT PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED TO POLICE OMBUDSMAN
JOINT STATEMENT BY RFJ and KRW Law LLP
This is another disappointing setback and families consider that all of these initiatives are part of a co-ordinated organised systemic policy. The excuse of ‘human error’, ‘lack of knowledge and experience’ and ‘archaic IT systems’, is not good enough.
Families consider today’s news to be consistent with a policy of creating delay.
There is an established pattern now:
- De Silva had access to more intelligence than Judge Cory.
- Judge Cory had access to more intelligence than Stevens 3.
- Stevens 3 had access to more intelligence than Stevens 1 and 2.
- Maguire 2016 had access to more intelligence than the HET.
- Maguire 2019 had access to more intelligence than Maguire 2016.
- And now we have Marie Anderson having access to more intelligence that Dr Maguire.
The families are appalled. In February, they felt abused and lied to, today they are deflated and hurt.
The systems failure which gives rise to today’s news touches upon three different and equally substantive PONI investigations, Operations Achilles, Greenwich and Shylo, which reviews the murder of Damien Walsh in March 1993, whose complaint is the longest standing unresolved complaint in the PONI system, having been lodged with Nuala O’Loan in 2004. The news today breaks on the anniversary of Greysteel which is reviewed by Operation Greenwich, and this news is heartbreaking on such a sensitive day.
Many parents and siblings have passed away even in the last 12 months and people are dying without access to justice. Over a dozen, parents, siblings and children of those murdered in the Ormeau Road have died since the lodgement of their complaint.
People denied truth recovery in these circumstances is a stain on all of us as a society.
The policy of “deny deny deny, delay delay delay, die die die”, is in its final stages.
By Niall Murphy – Solicitor