They chose bullets…
LETTERS: Irish News, October 10th, 2025
What a pity that the men who killed my brother chose violence instead of words.
I DIDN’T agree with American political activist Charlie Kirk’s opinions but respected his willingness to provide college students with the opportunity to engage in open debate.
His murder, like our Troubles murders, and the alarming increase in domestic deaths here, achieved nothing but heartache for families left behind.
As I remember my brother John’s murder on October 11 – 37 years ago – that devastated our family, there’s another person I remember: poet and dear friend Michael Longley, who died earlier this year.
Michael penned that simple yet profoundly powerful 86-word elegy ‘The Ice Cream Man’.
His young daughter Sarah in her innocence couldn’t understand why anyone would want to kill the ice cream man that night in 1988.
John was looking after the icecream parlour that night when I was on holiday with my wife and daughters. They killed John because, even off duty, he was a policeman who, in their blind hatred, deserved to die. They effectively killed my mum and dad, who died prematurely from broken hearts.
A poetry wreath
Thankfully, mum found a degree of peace when Michael Longley wrote that wreath of remembrance for the ice cream man.
It brought comfort that someone she didn’t know cared about her son John. Words that summed up the pointless waste of so many lost lives in our casually referred to ‘Troubles’.
Mum wrote to Michael, thanking him. He cherished her letter, kept it in his journal and read it often since 1988. I was stunned at his funeral to hear that his family read my mum’s letter to him in his final moments in hospital because they knew her letter, a mother’s heartfelt words, meant so much to him. I hope they brought him comfort.
Michael Longley would have been 86 this year.
As I re-read those 86 words in The Ice Cream Man, I remember the thousands of words Michael flawlessly weaved with humanity, humility and compassion into poems such as ‘Ceasefire’, trying to make this divided place we call home a bit better.
Despite what Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill once said about there being no alternative to violence, Michael Longley showed with words that there was always a better way.
What a pity the person who disagreed with Charlie Kirk and the men who killed my brother John chose violence instead of words.
GEORGE LARMOUR
Author: They Killed The Ice Cream Man Belfast
LETTERS, Irish News, October 10th, 2025
The Ice-Cream Man
Rum and raisin, Vanilla, butter scotch, walnut peach,
You would rhyme off the flavours. That was before
That before they murdered the man on the Lisburn Road.
And you bought carnations to lie outside his shop.
I named for you all the wild flowers of The Burren.
I had seen in one day: thyme, Valerian, loose strife
Meadowsweet, twaye blade, Crowfoot, ling, angelica,
Herb robert, marjoram,
Mountain avens, woodsage, naked robin, stichwort,
Yarrow, Ladies bedstraw, bindweed, bog pimpernel.
First day of Falls Curfew inquiry hears vivid and moving testimony from families of the dead
Anthony Neeson, Belfast Media, October 10th,
THE niece of a London photographer who was shot dead in Belfast by British soldiers during the Falls Curfew in July 1970 has told an inquiry that for half a century the family had thought that the 21-year-old had been forgotten, only to discover that “others had indeed remembered him and held him in their thoughts”.
Marta Riehle-Stern was speaking at an Independent Panel of Inquiry into the Falls Curfew of July 3 to 5, 1970, when four people were shot dead by the British army. 78 people were injured, hundreds of arrests were made and countless homes raided. Marta’s uncle, Zbigniew Uglik, was the fourth person to be shot dead by the British army during a July weekend which is seared into the consciousness of the West Belfast community.
On Friday relatives of the four victims – Charles O’Neill, William Burns, Patrick Elliman and Zbigniew Uglik – read out pen portraits of their loved ones in front of an independent panel consisting of chair Michael Mansfield KC, Mariela Kohon, who has extensive experience working with victims of human rights abuses, and barrister Mark Bassett. Solicitor Pádraig Ó Muirigh and the panel then had the opportunity to ask questions of the family members.
As proceedings began, Mr Mansfield set out the parameters of the inquiry. He said it was fitting that the inquiry was taking place in St Comgall’s on Divis Street, not far from where the Troubles erupted around a year before the Curfew. He said that there had been no official inquiry into the events of the Falls Curfew but there are people alive today who can still remember what had happened. He said that the Curfew marked the end of the honeymoon period that the British army had enjoyed in nationalist areas after August 1969 and as such was of historic importance.
Mr Mansfield added that during the course of the inquiry the panel will hear evidence from those caught up in the military operation as well as from experts in ballistics. Army logs will also be admitted as evidence. The panel will examine the legal basis for the curfew, the circumstances of how those who died were killed and whether the state carried out effective investigations into their deaths.
Charles O’Neill
First to deliver her pen portrait was Kathleen Cullen, who was 20 years old in July 1970. Her uncle, Charles O’Neill, was run over by a British army vehicle just before the curfew began.
A crowd gathers around Charlie O'Neill after he was run over by a British Army military vehicle
Charlie lived in Linden Street off the Falls Road with his mother, she said. Kathleen also lived in the house with her husband, son and sister. She said Charlie had left the RAF due to ill-health and always carried his discharge papers on him. He worked in St George’s Market and would return home after work carrying vegetables in his pockets for a salad. On Friday, July 3, he was making his way home from work and stood chatting to other men who had gathered “out of curiosity” to see why there was a larger Saladin military vehicle rather than a Saracen in the area.
She said Charlie stepped out waving his hands to try and calm the situation and was run over by the military vehicle which had started to accelerate. She said the soldiers removed everything from Charlie’s pockets including his RAF discharge papers.
“Charlie O’Neill’s killing was ruthless and cruel and a great loss to his entire family and especially his mother Kitty,” she said. “He was 36 years old and the first of four innocent men to be killed during the Falls Curfew.”
Monica Burns is the niece of William Burns, 54, who was the second person to be killed during the Curfew. She described William as a keen cyclist who travelled around Europe helping to build youth hostels. He lived in the family home at 57 Falls Road with his sister and two brothers. Monica said he was “a hard worker who was never without a job."
“When he worked in the family fish, poultry and fruit business he would win the Lord Mayor’s Prize for his window displays,” she continued.
On the evening of July 3 he was helping a neighbour board up a shop window because there was “a smell of trouble in the air”. The two men were standing chatting at the Burns’ family home. The bullet that killed William him passed through a door frame, through the chest of his neighbour and into William's chest.
“Rather than expressing regret for the indiscriminate firing of shots the army hastily suggested to news outlets that my uncle Billy had been throwing a petrol bomb,” said Monica, who was 13 at the time. “His sudden and brutal murder was bad enough, but the accusation which was laughable to anyone who knew him was the cause of anger and distress among all the family and beyond.”
She said the family never expected justice and were “unsurprised when it never materialised”. She said she hoped that in her brief statement that she had done “justice to who he was and what he did in life”.
She added that the inquest verdict of death by misadventure was “another torture for the family”.
Patrick Elliman
Pól Wilson is the great-nephew of Patrick Elliman (62). Small in stature, Patrick was physically very strong, he said. Patrick had four children. During the Second World War he was employed in various construction and demolition projects. After the war he worked on the railways and later the docks. An O'Connell's clubman, he was a former Antrim hurling goalkeeper.
By 1970 Patrick was living with his sister Kathleen at 12 Marchioness Street. At 11pm on July 3 and with the district seemingly quiet, Patrick stepped out of the house in his slippers to get some fresh air. He was standing chatting with his brother James when a British soldier opened fire, with Paddy and James both being hit. Paddy was carried back to the house and an ambulance was called. On the short drive to the Royal Victoria Hospital, the ambulance with Paddy inside was stopped on four occasions by the British army.
“It took over half an hour to travel that short distance," said Pól. After the shooting the British army billeted themselves in number 12 Marchioness Street “and helped themselves to any food supplies that were in the house at the time”.
Patrick Elliman died on July 11 without regaining consciousness.
“It is 55 years since uncle Patrick and the other three innocent victims died at the hands of the British army. No-one has ever been held to account, no apologies or explanations provided to the family.”
Pól added that the state has a duty to be open about the events of the Falls Curfew. “[It was] a weekend that changed forever the relationship between the state and the Catholic/Nationalist population," he said. "An event so disastrous, that the course of history changed and sowed the seeds for 30 years of violence.”
Zbigniew Uglik
During her contribution, Marta Riehle-Stern recalled how Zbigniew Uglik’s Polish parents moved to England after the Second World War. Zbigniew’s father was arrested by the Russians at the outbreak of war and was sent to a labour camp in Siberia where he remained until 1941. He eventually fought the Nazis in a Polish division of the British army. Zbigniew was born in England in 1948 and by 1970 was working as a postman.
A keen photographer, he arrived in Belfast just as the Curfew was announced and was taking shelter in a house in Albert Street. He left the property at around 11.30pm on July 4 with the intention of returning to the Wellington Park Hotel, where he was staying, to retrieve more film for his camera. He climbed over a backyard wall and disappeared into the night. Gunshots were soon heard.
His niece Marta told the inquiry: “He loved music, photography and travel. He played guitar and had a girlfriend and spent most of his spare income on cameras and equipment, hoping to become a photojournalist.
“He was particularly drawn to Belfast where tensions between divided communities were rising.”
Marta said that after Zbigniew's death his name was blackened by unfounded claims in the British press of him being a Soviet agent operating in Belfast.
“This was particularly a cruel blow to Zbigniew’s parents who were separated by and witnessed unbearable hardship at the hands of the Soviet Union,” she said.
For decades, she added, the family thought that Zbigniew’s death had been forgotten by the wider world. “The story was too insignificant for anyone beyond or family to remember. It was only through my own research that I discovered that others had indeed remembered him and held him in their thoughts.”
She added that – tragically – this knowledge had come too late for her grandparents. She said her mother and aunt hope that the true circumstances of Zbigniew’s death will be reflected for posterity in their lifetime “so that this painful uncertainty is not left to the next generation of our family".
The Independent Panel Inquiry will resume in November.
Labour has given Dublin joint say on legacy policy says Tory peer
Ben Lowry, Belfast News Letter, October 10th, 2025
It is ‘unbelievable’ that the Labour did not demand that Ireland drop its legal case against the UK before being allowed to present a joint Britain-Ireland legacy plan, a former UK government minister has said.
Lord (Jonathan) Caine, a long-time Northern Ireland Office advisor before becoming a peer in 2016, and later a junior NIO minister, was speaking about Hilary Benn’s recent announcement with the Irish deputy prime minister Simon Harris of a way forward for dealing with legacy.
Lord Caine told the News Letter: “As anyone in Northern Ireland will tell you, the devil is very often in the detail. But on the reading of the joint framework that the government published a few weeks ago, it seems to me that however much they try and dress this up with protections [for veterans], so-called protections, the consequences of their proposals will inevitably mean that veterans are going to be hauled once again before the coroners courts either remotely or in person. And remotely believe you me doesn’t make a huge amount of difference in this context. But also these proposals will open up once again the prospect of prosecutions, now we all know that that is going to be more likely in the case of veterans than it will for former paramilitaries for obvious reasons.”
Lord Caine, who was at the Conservative conference in Manchester when he spoke to us, said: “The protections themselves, the prime minister said, around the time of the Labour conference, that they are exclusively for veterans, the first briefing I had with the Northern Ireland Office on these proposals, they admitted that five out of the six of the protections for veterans will be available to former paramilitaries. The only one that is exclusive to veterans is that they will be contacted in the first instance by the Ministry of Defence, not a route that I suspect formers members of the IRA or the UVF would want to take.”
He added: “Unbelievably the government did not make it pre-condition that the Irish government drop the interstate case against the UK. It should have been drop the case and we will talk. Instead it is still hanging over the UK almost as a threat and a blackmail. The legislation has to be satisfactory to the Irish government, which has done nothing on legacy within its own jurisdiction since the Belfast Agreement.”
Gildernew's Troubles comments wrong and do not reflect Sinn Fein's view: First Minister
KURTIS REID, Belfast Telegraph, October 10th, 2025
O'NEILL ADDRESSES 'JUSTIFIED MURDERS' REMARK MADE BY EX-MP ON PODCAST
The First Minister has said comments from a former Sinn Fein MP, including about some Troubles murders being justified, were wrong and did not represent the party's view.
Michelle O'Neill, who herself previously said there was no alternative to IRA violence, said she did not agree with Michelle Gildernew's remarks.
Ms Gildernew, who previously represented Fermanagh and South Tyrone as MP, told the BBC podcast 'Borderland: UK or United Ireland?' that certain conflict killings were “justified”.
She also described Northern Ireland as “a s***hole” during an exchange with former DUP MP Ian Paisley.
Asked about the various remarks for the first time, Ms O'Neill said: “Michelle's views are her own and certainly not mine. They do not reflect my view, and they certainly do not reflect the view of our party.
“I work every day to build this place up. I work every day to give people hope, to create opportunity, to build a brighter and better future for all. That's what I am very focused on.”
Speaking to reporters, Ms O'Neill continued: “I've spoken at length, on many occasions, in terms of the many tragedies and injustices that have happened to many families across this place, but our job is about healing the wounds of the past. Our job should be about looking towards the future and supporting families that have been impacted by conflict.”
When asked directly if she thought Ms Gildernew's comments were wrong, the First Minister replied: “I think that she was wrong. She is a member of Sinn Fein, but her views are her views, and not my views.”
Ms Gildernew served as MP until 2024 and did not seek re-election, as she was contesting a European Parliament seat in the Irish Republic.
Earlier this year, she said she was “disappointed” when her employment contract with the party ended, but confirmed she remained a member.
The comments were made on the aforementioned podcast, hosted by Chris Buckler, which brings together figures from across the political divide to discuss the prospect of a border poll and the future of Northern Ireland.
Murders ‘justified’ and ‘unjustified’
In the same episode, loyalist activist Jamie Bryson agreed with Ms Gildernew that some murders during the Troubles were justified, saying: “That's fine, at least we can be honest with each other. I believe loyalists had a right to do the same the other way,” stating that he believed “the murder of IRA people was justified, yes, not civilians”.
During the discussion, Ms Gildernew also accused the Army of having “brought a war to our streets”.
Mr Paisley, who was also part of the discussion, said he was “interested in listening to the debate” but focused instead on how the UK could be improved.
He also said he was “open” to hearing “persuasive arguments” around the potential of a united Ireland.
The DUP later clarified that Mr Paisley was appearing in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the party.
When asked about IRA violence on the BBC's Red Lines podcast in 2022, Ms O'Neill said: “I think at the time there was no alternative.”
“Now, thankfully, we have an alternative to conflict and that's the Good Friday Agreement.
“My whole adult life has been building the peace process.
“I wish the conditions were never here that actually led to conflict.
“The only way we're ever going to build a better future is actually to understand that it's OK to have a different take on the past.
“My narrative is a very different one to someone who's perhaps lost a loved one at the hands of republicans.”
‘The line was crossed’- mob outside Justice Minister’s home
JOHN MANLEY, Irish News, October 10th, 2023
Justice Minister Naomi Long and her husband Michael speak out against ‘bullying and intimidation’
Justice Minister Naomi Long has said a mob that gathered outside her east Belfast home on Wednesday night was engaged in “bullying and intimidation”.
The Alliance leader’s husband and Belfast councillor Michael Long told The Irish News that the experience, which lasted for around 90 minutes, was “very scary”.
A group of around 40 people, many of whom were masked, gathered outside the couple’s home at around 7pm on Wednesday and were live streaming events on social media.
Police arrived at the scene quickly, according to Mr Long, and the mob dispersed at around 8.30pm.
A police car remained outside the couple’s home all night.
Speaking yesterday morning, Mr Long described the situation as “very difficult”.
“We had no idea what was happening,” he said.
“I was just getting on with making dinner when we became aware of a large group of people outside. These people seem to think it’s OK to intimidate others in their homes.”
Mr Long said that even at the height of the flag protests more than a decade ago the couple had “never been intimidated in our home”.
He praised the PSNI for their swift action.
In a post on social media, the justice minister said: “It’s bullying and intimidation. It’s threatening and wholly unacceptable.”
The PSNI are understood to be reviewing footage of the incident to establish “if any potential offences have been committed”.
Mrs Long said: “Over the last 25 years I’ve been in frontline politics, I’ve engaged with people from all backgrounds and perspectives. I’ve been open to debating and discussing issues, whether we agreed or not, including on here.
“Turning up as a mob, some in masks, at my home just isn’t on.
“That line was crossed last night. It isn’t engagement and it isn’t legitimate protest to turn up at my home, disrupt my neighbours, my family and place pressure on police.
“It’s bullying and intimidation. It’s threatening and wholly unacceptable. It needs to stop.”
First Minister Michelle O’Neill described events outside the Longs’ home as “absolutely disgusting”.
“Turning up at someone’s home is intimidation, not protest – it is never acceptable,” she said.
Justice Minister Naomi Long, above, and her husband Michael, right
DUP leader and East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson said the homes of elected politicians “should be firmly off limits”.
“Whatever the reason for political protest, what happened last night at Naomi Long’s home should be roundly condemned,” he said.
Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said “shocked, horrified and depressed” by the reports, which some media reports have linked to the housing of sex offenders in residential areas.
“We live in a democracy. In a democracy, you will see things you don’t like. You’ll hear things you don’t agree with. You’ll be upset by decisions politicians make,” Mr Nesbitt said.
“There are acceptable ways to express your opposition. Intimidation is not one of them. I hope the PSNI have gathered enough evidence to lead to prosecution.”
SDLP leader Claire Hanna MP said she stood in “sincere solidarity” with the Longs following the “disgraceful scenes outside their home”.
“The SDLP will always stand against those who seek to use violence or intimidation,” she said.
“There can be no place for it in our politics or our society.”
Police said an evidence-gathering operation was in place outside the Longs’ home and that they would review footage and consider if any potential offences were committed.
If picket outside home was really justified, why did they wear masks?
ALLISON MORRIS, CRIME CORRESPONDENT, Belfast Telegraph, October 10th, 2025
COMMENT,
The protest at the home of Justice Minister Naomi Long and her Belfast City councillor husband Michael signals a change of tactic from those who have turned intimidation into an online grift.
In the Republic, the rise of the far right was permitted and indulged until it became an uncontrollable force.
Those who gathered outside Mrs Long's east Belfast home on Wednesday were merely mimicking the tactics of their southern counterparts.
A group of far-right protesters staged an anti-immigration demonstration outside the home of then-Taoiseach Simon Harris in Co Wicklow in May last year.
Holding up anti-immigration placards, they made the reason for the gathering very clear.
People Before Profit TD targeted
In April 2023, protesters targeted the home of People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy.
Mr Murphy and his partner Jess Spear had just welcomed their first baby at the time.
As a result of protests targeting the houses of high-profile politicians, TDs and senators can now claim up to €5,000 to improve security at their homes and constituency offices.
In Northern Ireland, politicians are already considered “key persons” and entitled to robust security and alarm systems. A small number have police protection officers when they are out in public.
This is not the first time Mrs Long has been targeted.
During the 2012 flag protests, her office in east Belfast was a regular venue for protests.
They turned violent that December, when a mob attempted to burn down an Alliance Party office on the Upper Newtownards Road.
In 2014, seven petrol bombs were thrown at the office. Scorch damage was caused to the building and windows were smashed, but no-one was injured.
Protests, even violent protests, outside the offices of politicians are not new. In 1994, Johnny Adair's C Company fired a rocket-propelled grenade at Sinn Fein's west Belfast offices.
A sinister twist
But in a peace-time context, protests at the family homes of elected representatives is a sinister twist.
We live in an increasingly angry society, and a lot of that anger is encouraged by those using social media to peddle misinformation — and increasingly — deliberate misinformation.
Mrs Long said on X that “the line was crossed last night”.
She added: “It isn't engagement and it isn't a legitimate protest to turn up at my home, disrupt my neighbours, my family and place pressure on police. It's bullying and intimidation. It's threatening and wholly unacceptable. It needs to stop.”
However, it is unlikely to stop while those who are orchestrating these attacks are being treated with kid gloves.
Despite arrests of self-proclaimed vigilantes, the courts have often released them on bail conditions, that are then repeatedly, and very publicly, flouted.
In the Republic, treating racist agitators with kid gloves has backfired badly, as without consequences for their actions, they have become emboldened.
Despite the far-right movement in Northern Ireland being mainly — but not exclusively — loyalist, they have forged links with their counterparts in the south.
Far right forging links North and South
The Coolock Says No protesters were welcomed to a loyalist bar in south Belfast following an anti-immigration protest last year.
Using similar tactics, they will push women, and more depressingly children, to the front, while the organisers hide at the rear with their faces covered.
When unmasked, they represent a ragtag bunch, including some convicted criminals and abusers.
Naomi Long is not responsible for immigration policy — if they want to protest that, they should take their masks and banners to the Home Office.
She is also not responsible for policing operational matters, or the judiciary who rightly operate with independence.
But she is also one of Northern Ireland's most senior politicians.
The electorate and indeed other politicians are well within their rights to hold ministers to account.
The media have a responsibility to scrutinise members of the Executive and the decisions they make.
But we also have a duty to ensure that reporting and criticism is based in fact and use language that does not incite those who would exploit the situation for their own agenda.
Many of those who attend the far-right protests are distrustful of the media. They are not seeking facts, but endorsement of their bias from online sites that have monetised division with incredible success.
Social media as platforms for misinformation
They use platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to promote themselves, along with disinformation intended to exploit fear and vulnerability for views.
They mimic the worst aspects of American political discourse, and profit from far-right rhetoric.
The right to protest is a cornerstone of democracy, even if that protest involves those with disagreeable views.
But there are lines. Family homes should always be out of bounds. Violence is never acceptable.
And if those who gathered outside Naomi Long's home were so confident that their protest was justified, why were they masked?
Council rejects playpark proposal as DUP is accused of ‘stirring up racial tensions’
MARK ROBINSON and MICHAEL KENWOOD, Irish News, October 10th, 2025
A DUP proposal for a safeguarding policy on Belfast’s playparks has been voted down by a council committee after being accused of “stirring up racial tensions”.
The motion to create a ‘Safeguarding Belfast’s Playparks Policy’ was first proposed by DUP alderman Dean McCullough earlier in the summer and was the subject of a heated debate at last month’s full council meeting.
It stated that council expressed “deep concern” at the “growing number of reports relating to indecent, threatening, and predatory behaviour in council-owned playparks across Belfast”.
“These spaces, intended for the happiness and well-being of children, are increasingly being compromised by individuals loitering without lawful purpose, in a manner that alarms parents and communities,” it read.
It called for the creation of a comprehensive policy to “prohibit loitering in and around children’s playparks by any adult not accompanying a child, or without a legitimate purpose” alongside a full public consultation.
However, at a People and Communities Committee on Tuesday, a Sinn Féin proposal to drop the motion was approved by 13 votes from Sinn Féin, Alliance, the SDLP, the Green Party, and People Before Profit against six from the DUP and UUP.
Sinn Féin councillor Róis Máire Donnelly said that her party had come to the conclusion that they could “not agree on the wording” of the DUP motion and that they “had tried prior to that to come to some sort of agreement with the proposer”.
“Unfortunately we were not able to do that,” she said.
At full council meeting in September, SDLP councillor Séamas de Faoite brought in a dog whistle for Alderman McCullough and added the DUP motion was “divisive” and “puts people at risk.”
The motion to create a ‘Safeguarding Belfast’s Playparks Policy’ was rejected at a meeting of Belfast City Council’s People and Communities Committee on Tuesday.
Self-appointed vigilantes
Green Party councillor Brian Smyth said: “I’ll tell you one issue I have seen in our local parks in the last number of weeks, supposed self-styled vigilantes patrolling these parks late at night.
“Doing what? Some of the people have been reported as having recent criminal records. They are targeting people whose skin is not white – they are nothing more than racist scumbags, and I will not be retracting that.”
Alderman McCullough said that critics who have called the proposal “dog whistle politics” was an “insult to the parents and children who simply want safe playparks”.
“When a mother says she doesn’t feel safe bringing her children to her local play park because of loitering, harassment or indecent exposure, she isn’t talking about general criminality, she is talking about predatory behaviour,” he said.
“If we cannot name the problem, we cannot solve the problem. Others have called me ‘the worst of the DUP’. Well, if standing up against predators makes me the worst, I’ll wear that badge with honour.
“And then there was those more concerned with my social media language than with predatory behaviour.”
The decision to reject the DUP motion will now go before full council to be ratified.
Eastwood makes apology to ‘discarded’ members of New Ireland Commission
JOHN MANLEY, Irish News, October 10th, 2025
COLUM Eastwood has apologised “unreservedly” to New Ireland Commission panel members following complaints they had been “discarded”.
The former SDLP leader, who took over as chair of the commission earlier this year, conceded that engagement with members of the so-called expert reference panel had been limited but stressed that it was not a reflection of their abilities.
Former Presbyterian moderator Norman Hamilton, who was enlisted as a panelist when the commission was established in 2021, complained that he had “been discarded along with all the others”.
“This is appalling that people are just discarded without even being told they are being discarded,” he said after learning that the commission had “moved on” from having a formal panel.
It’s understood that the commission’s 32 panelists never met in person.
In an email to the commission’s members sent in the aftermath of Dr Hamilton’s remarks, Mr Eastwood said he understood a number of them were “approached by the BBC this past week about some of our work”.
“As you know, since stepping down as the leader of the SDLP, I have recently taken a more active convening role in the commission,” he said.
“I believe passionately in the work that we’ve been doing and that we can contribute in a more meaningful way to the growing debate on the future of our island.”
The Foyle MP said he had been “reviewing the content of the excellent conversations that we have facilitated in communities across these islands” in an effort to to establish how the commission could “most usefully contribute our energy and resources to our mission to bring people across Ireland together”.
A new partnership
“We have recently started a new partnership with a research and polling company aimed at facilitating direct research with people who have yet to be convinced about the merits of constitutional change,” he said.
“I want us to have a solid base of information that tells us what the most important issues are, how we can accommodate and cherish people from every background and community and, importantly, how we can put together a powerful and persuasive prospectus for change.”
Mr Eastwood said the commission was now less focused “on the production of policy with members of the expert reference panel”.
“I want to assure you that it is no reflection on your commitment, skills or experience which I absolutely value,” he said.
“I know that some have felt undervalued and if that is the case, I deeply regret it and apologise unreservedly. My focus is on building the strongest possible organisation around the campaign to bring the people who share our island together. We will need people like you in that effort, even while the model of our work changes to meet our evolving needs.”
Delay in the appointment of Stormont language chiefs 'deeply disappointing'
LIAM TUNNEY, Belfast Telegraph, October 10th, 2025
ADVOCACY GROUP SAYS IT WON'T ACCEPT SITUATION DRAGGING ON ANY LONGER
The delay in appointing Stormont language commissioners promised more than five years ago is “deeply disappointing”, the president of Irish language advocacy group Conradh na Gaeilge (CnG) has said.
Appointments of Irish language and Ulster-Scots commissioners for Northern Ireland was included in the New Decade, New Approach deal agreed by Sinn Fein and the DUP in January 2020.
Despite both appointees being named in the press and them having handed in their notice at their former jobs, the appointments of Pol Deeds and Lee Reynolds have not yet been signed off by the Executive.
CnG President Ciaran Mac Giolla Bhein said activists would not accept the situation dragging on indefinitely.
“It's deeply disappointing,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.
“The appointment of the commissioners was agreed in 2022 with the passing of the legislation at Westminster.
“We know through the newspaper reports that both commissioners — and, obviously, our interests of the Irish language commissioner primarily — have tendered their resignations from their previous jobs.
“There's a legal duty to appoint this commissioner, and that needs to be done.
“This is going to drag on. We're not going to leave it. We're not going to accept that there'll be no commissioner.”
Recruitment process ‘nearing completion’
An Executive Office spokesperson said the recruitment process for the commissioners was “nearing completion”.
Mr Mac Giolla Bhein was speaking at a celebration event held by campaign group An Dream Dearg yesterday afternoon to mark the passing of Belfast City Council's new Irish language policy.
Crowds of supporters — including pupils from the city's Irish language schools — listened and danced to traditional music outside the gates of City Hall.
The policy, adopted by council last week, will still be subject to a call-in from unionist parties.
The mechanism is intended as a safeguard on decision-making and requires councillors to look again at a decision with the benefit of legal opinion.
The Conradh na Gaeilge president praised the work of activists that had ultimately led to the adoption of the new policy.
“Irish has been excluded from all vestiges of the city here, through the council and everything else,” he said.
“That's now changed — and that's changed because of a small group of very committed activists, pioneers, who planted seeds. Those seeds are flourishing.
“I think that it is a testament to the hard determination and grit of our community. From what started as a small issue, which received very little political support, we now have widespread support.”
Democratic choice
Mr Mac Giolla Bhein acknowledged opposition to the policy but said that it was the result of a democratic process.
“Only 17 councillors voted against this,” he said.
“There was also a further process of consultation in which every member and every citizen within the city had their opportunity to express their views.
“For those that are against that, that's why we have democracy.
“They had the opportunity to engage in debate. I know they did that very robustly within the council.
“They're talking about a call-in.
“These are all the mechanisms for people to use.
“The Irish language has been enhancing the lives of Irish speakers within the city, enhancing the profiling of the Irish.
“It's not about diminishing the lives of those who have no interest in the Irish language.
“We're about inclusion. We're not about excluding anyone.”
‘It feels like a war zone… we’re left to battle on our own’
ALLAN PRESTON, Irish News, October 10th, 2025
A “BURNT out nurse” from Antrim Area Hospital’s emergency department has spoken of the crippling pressure facing staff.
An anonymous letter detailing a punishing day providing corridor care was leaked to media yesterday, describing how overstretched nurses fight to treat sick and elderly patients who have often been sitting on uncomfortable chairs overnight.
It follows multiple reports this year of the intense pressures in emergency care in Northern Ireland, including only a third of patients being treated within the four-hour target in June.
The Royal College of Nursing has said the harrowing details were “all too familiar”.
Dated September 15, the senior nurse’s letter said her intention was not to blame others but to show the reality of working on “an extremely overcrowded corridor”.
The following transcript has been edited for space reasons.
“I was allocated to the corridor on Monday when I arrived for my shift, I was looking forward to it.
“I even requested to work there the previous day, as I do enjoy it (most of the time).
“The two other nurses that were allocated to work alongside me were Nurse C and Nurse B.
“I was pleased, it was a great team. Two strong, hardworking nurses, my day was going to be just fine. We walked out to get our handover.”
Most patients over 70
With around 20 admissions on the corridor, most were over the age of 70 and had been waiting in the cramped AEC (Ambulatory Emergency Care) waiting area for 18-20 hours.
“The corridor was an absolute hive of activity, and not in a good way.
“There was a constant stream of staff entering the main hospital via ED and especially the AEC corridor.
“Whilst they walk past our sick, exhausted patients they are glancing around them, taking it all in. There is no privacy for these poor people.
“We, as nurses, are very aware of this and we try our best but the resources just aren’t available to maintain a good standard of privacy.”
Added to the constant hum of corridor activity are patients asking for directions, cleaners, porters, maintenance workers and kitchen staff.
“It never stops….we are soon getting ‘into the swing of things’ but by no means making a dent in this situation.
“We brisk walk between everything we do and at times we have to up our pace to a jog, to try and keep ahead of our work. We are continuously escalating our concerns and worries to the Nurse in Charge.
“I feel the panic starting to arise in me, so I tell myself to remain calm.
“We can only do what we can do but these are people that need us, they are sitting in front of us, they are staring at us, their eyes begging us to help/call them next, they are exhausted, they are sick.”
“It is heartbreaking, it really tears at our hearts. In addition to our already heavy workload, we have the new patients arriving into the department.
“This increases with much pace as the day goes on.
“We can only do what we can do but these are people that need us, they are sitting in front of us, they are staring at us, their eyes begging us to help/call them next, they are exhausted, they are sick
“We fall behind again. The Consultant ward rounds have begun – some would ask you to do everything, others would recognise your workload and try to sort their patients themselves, including finding a private area to assess their patient.
Computer taken off the corridor
“Next issue, one of the doctors has taken my computer off the corridor for their ward round.
A whistleblower claiming to be a senior nurse from Antrim Area Hospital’s Emergency Department described her struggle to treat overwhelming patient numbers during a single shift
“I go to retrieve it, every computer is in use, I don’t know which one took mine, I walk the whole of the ED to find a free computer, there are none available.
“I have a mini meltdown, I have wasted a precious 15/20mins trying to replace my stolen computer, the ED consultant and nurse in charge recognise my distress.
“They help me out with a computer, I’m back on the road again.
“Immediately I return to my patients. I call a lady, she’s at the back of the AEC corridor waiting room, she needs assistance to walk. I go to assist her.
“I have to move two patients on wheelchairs first to get past, one of the patients tells me he’s missed his breakfast and he’s starving. I recognised him from the day before.
“So I’m sure he is hungry. I reassure him I will get him sorted. I fight past a couple of drip counters, turning off alarms, answering questions from others about how long they have to wait for a bed/to be seen etc.
“I manage to get my lady, I fight my way out of the waiting area again to bring her to the workstation. I see she is prescribed fluids, I notice she has no cannula. I’m aware, in my head there’s a man on a chair needing his critical meds soon, I’m trying to remember that also.
“I try to cannulate my patient, of course her veins are terrible. Whilst actively trying to cannulate this on my knees in the main corridor, a relative starts tapping my shoulder.
“I tell her I’ll be with her in a moment, I’m busy. She continues to tap my shoulder to tell me there is another patient in the waiting area being sick. I acknowledge and say I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
After further interruptions, she describes bringing the 86-year-old woman back to the seat where she has spent 14 hours overnight.
“She’s had no sleep, she is sore from sitting, she looks exhausted, I feel awful.”
High risk of seizure
EVENTUALLY, she reached her patient needing critical meds who is at a very high risk of seizure and an alcoholic.
“I ask him how he is. He is exhausted, he has sat on a chair for 26 hours, he’s hungry, he’s sore, and he is unwell and we can’t even offer a sick person a bed or at the very least a recliner.
“Again my heart breaks for him. I get him sorted with his meds and he is fired back into the packed waiting area.
“He doesn’t complain, he says ‘how do you girls do this every day?’
“I answer him by saying ‘I just don’t know, but I know I can’t last this pace much longer.
“I start to get upset, but forget about that. No time for emotions, there are plenty of people waiting for me to help them, onto the next.”
The Royal College of Nursing has previously spoken out about the pressures of treating patients in corridors
Regrouping with the other nurses, she describes feeling “completely overwhelmed and overstimulated” and terrified of making a mistake – with 76 patients in he AEC being cared for by four staff and another three “caring” for 64 patients in waiting areas.
“The numbers don’t add up. NIAS arrive in AEC with a 94-year-old lady with chest pain.”
Deemed “fit to sit,” she said the question is whether that stretches to sitting in a hard chair for 32 hours.
“It’s 4pm now, myself and the other two nurses are drowning, we are flagging.
“We can’t maintain this pace. We are struggling physically, mentally and emotionally.
“We have complete sensory overload. The constant beeping of alarms, the continuous noise of background chat, our eyes constantly darting around the waiting areas.
“I find I can’t take any more, I’m trying to remain strong, I’m the senior nurse, I’ve the most experience, I can’t let the junior nurses see it’s beating me.
“I decide I need to remove myself for five minutes. I take myself off to the bathroom, I’m sweating profusely, it’s so warm in the corridor but when we try to open the windows the patients complain it’s too cold.
Nurse needs painkillers to finish shift
“My legs are sore, really sore. I have to take two (painkillers) or they won’t keep me upright till the end of shift.
“My lower back is in agony from standing, there are no seats for staff in the corridor. I’m laughing at actually writing this, there are no seats for patients.
“I am constantly bent over at an angle. I’m tall, the chairs are low, the patients are small.
“I’m always stooped over. I also have a medical issue, partly worsened by being on my feet, it’s playing up badly now too.
“I sit on the loo, it’s the only seat I get, I just breathe… Flip, I need to get back to the frontline.
“I bump into Nurse B, she is upset, she is struggling with watching a very frail man sit on a chair.
“This is really pulling at her heart strings, she is visibly distressed whilst telling me his story.”
When a recliner seat becomes available, the nurses must choose between offering it to a 78-year-old man that has been in the waiting area for 28 hours or a frail man that’s “only” been on a chair for six hours.
“I look over to check everyone, visually. I spot Nurse C, she looks stressed, she sees me looking, she breaks and starts to cry.
“I remove her immediately. My heart breaks for her, I feel awful, I can’t get my area under control, I’m causing upset to my colleagues.
“I’m unable to make this any easier for them. I’m ‘failing’ now too. I leave her in the office with another senior member of staff, I don’t have time to mop up her tears, Nurse B is in the trenches on her own, I need to get back. Nurse C returns a while later.
“The madness, the stress, the noise, the patients, the relatives all keep continuing to come.
“We get to the end of the shift. I can hardly walk with pain, I have a busting headache. Nurse C comes over to me, she says ‘please don’t think I can’t do my job, because I can. I’m sorry I broke down earlier’.
“I could have cried, that poor girl, an amazing nurse, thinks she’s failing at her job. It is actually disgusting we are gaslighted into feeling this.
“I reassure her that this is not normal working conditions…it feels like a war zone. It distresses me that we are left to battle this on our own.
“It also annoys me that other disciplines within the hospital who get paid similar to us, haven’t an ounce of the stress we have.
Nurses being broken by broken system
“This system is broken, and very soon the nurses will be broken.
“I’m worried for our patients, I’m worried for our staff – majority of which are female and naturally more emotional. They all come into work with their own worries and stresses outside of work, that’s natural, that’s life, but to come into work in this environment for 13 hours a day, three or four days a week is dangerous.”
“ What concerns me most is the lack of meaningful action. Following the severe challenges faced by health services last winter, there was a commitment to better planning for winter pressures. Yet here we are in October, and already the warning signs are clear
Rita Devlin, the Royal College of Nursing’s Executive Director in Northern Ireland, called the letter a “harrowing read” but “all too familiar” for emergency nursing staff working for years under “intolerable pressure” leading to burnout and leaving the profession altogether.
“What concerns me most is the lack of meaningful action,” she said.
“Following the severe challenges faced by health services last winter, there was a commitment to better planning for winter pressures. Yet here we are in October, and already the warning signs are clear.”
With a system “running at breaking point for far too long,” she said staff wellbeing and fundamentally transforming how care is delivered was vital.
“My message to any nurses who may be facing these challenges is please don’t go through this alone. Reach out for support, whether that’s through your employer or through the RCN.”
A Northern Trust spokesperson said: “The pressures facing our health and social care system are unprecedented and the challenges for staff are well documented.
“We recognise that colleagues are concerned about their ability to provide timely and compassionate care due to the high number of patients in our Emergency Departments who are waiting for admission to an inpatient bed.
“We want our staff to feel able to talk openly about their experiences in the workplace and welcome all feedback as it enables us to support staff, and also identify areas where we need to take action.”
They continued: “Our Emergency Departments are regularly operating above their capacity, due in large part to a greater demand for beds than are available.
“A programme board has been established by the Trust’s senior management team to prioritise actions to alleviate current pressures and to reduce the overcrowding in our Emergency Departments.”
Cushnahan 'not bound by Irish law to keep confidential information about £1.1bn loans to himself'
SAM MCBRIDE, Belfast Telegraph, October 10th, 2025
HIS LAWYER SAYS NAMA KNEW THAT HE WASN'T CONFINED BY THE LEGISLATION
Frank Cushnahan was not bound by an Irish law to maintain confidentiality around its Northern Ireland loans worth more than a billion pounds, his lawyer has told a Belfast jury.
Setting out the first substantial planks of the former banker's defence yesterday on day six of the trial, Frank O'Donoghue KC told Belfast Crown Court that Nama knew his client wasn't bound by the law which made it a criminal offence for Nama board members and staff to improperly disclose such information.
Cross-examining Nama's former chairman, Frank Daly, the barrister took him to minutes of a Nama meeting where it is recorded that it did not believe the Irish law protecting such sensitive information applied to the two external members of the body's Northern Ireland Advisory Committee (NIAC), one of whom was Cushnahan.
Frank Hugh Cushnahan (83), of Alexandra Gate in Holywood, is charged with fraud by failing to disclose information and fraud by false representation.
His co-accused, former solicitor Ian George Coulter (54), of Templepatrick Road in Ballyclare, faces two charges of fraud by false representation, and charges of making or supplying articles for use in fraud, removing criminal property, and transferring criminal property.
Both men deny all the charges.
At points, yesterday's cross-examination was, in Mr O'Donoghue's words “turgid” as he took a jury — some of whom he acknowledged are so young they might not remember the 2008 financial crash — through detailed Irish legislation designed to save the economy from collapse.
Taking the jury to the Credit Institutions (Financial Support) Act, passed by the Dáil in 2008, Mr O'Donoghue acknowledged: “Members of the jury may not have seen legislation, they not be familiar with legislation.”
He explained to them that the law involved the Irish state guaranteeing the liabilities of the banks who by then were in crisis.
Reading to them from the Act, he told the court this was thought necessary due to a “serious threat to the stability” of the Irish state's banks, and the legislation said that what it was doing was in the public interest to prevent “a serious disturbance in the economy of the state”.
He then took them to the Nama Act 2009 in which the National Assets Management Agency (Nama) was set up. Reading from the legislation, he said it was intended to “address a serious threat to the economy” by creating Nama to take on loans which were dragging down major Irish banks.
Conflicts of Interest
Ultimately, he got to the section of the legislation which imposed duties on Nama figures to declare conflicts of interest and maintain confidentiality.
In his evidence the previous day, Mr Daly had said that Cushnahan had a duty to declare an interest at the October 7, 2013 NIAC meeting because he was by then working to help a major US fund buy all of Nama's Northern Ireland loans and stood to make millions for himself if the deal went through.
Mr O'Donoghue put it to him: “What I understood you to say was that he had a legal duty to do that.”
Mr Daly replied: “That's my view, yes.”
Before taking the jury into further detail of the law, Mr O'Donoghue said that he would show them that “the legislation doesn't cover Mr Cushnahan at all” — and that Nama knew that.
Turning later to what the Nama Act said, the barrister displayed the legislation on court screens. It said that “a person on whom an obligation is imposed by or… who intentionally does not comply with the obligation commits an offence” and “a person who intentionally, recklessly or through gross negligence provides false or inaccurate information to Nama commits an offence”.
One of those offences was defined as where someone “intentionally withholds information from Nama” which they're obliged to provide it.
He took Mr Daly to the minutes of the first meeting of the NIAC on May 12, 2010 in Ballymascanlon Hotel in Dundalk.
Mr Daly was not on the committee at that point, but was present “as a courtesy” to welcome the two external members, he said.
The minutes record: “It was noted that section 202 of the Act deals with confidential information and that this section does not appear to apply to advisory committees. It was agreed however that the committee would be voluntarily bound by section 202 and the secretary was asked to forward a copy of the relevant sections of the Act to the committee members.”
When asked about that, Mr Daly said it represented Nama's understanding “at that time”. Section 202 dealt with unlawful disclosure of confidential information, stating that a person “shall not, unless authorised by Nama” disclose confidential information.
The first category covered is “member of the board”, which would not have covered Cushnahan.
However, when asked about that, Mr Daly drew attention to what followed in the legislation, which included anyone acting “while an officer of Nama… or otherwise performing duties on behalf of Nama”.
He said that after the Dundalk meeting Nama got legal advice on this from solicitors Arthur Cox and they concluded that “section 202 did apply to someone who was performing duties on behalf of Nama and members of the NIAC were regarded as people who were performing duties on behalf of Nama”.
He said that legal advice “also addressed the question of whether people were living outside the jurisdiction, and it still applied”.
After that, Mr Daly said it was “certainly” the view of Nama that the law on confidentiality did apply to Cushnahan.
On several occasions, Mr O'Donoghue drew attention to the fact that Nama's remit was to recover money from developers for taxpayers in the Republic but this also meant coming after developers in Northern Ireland, some of whom had given 'personal guarantees' to secure their loans which meant they could lose everything, including their homes.
Country bankrupted by bankers paying themselves bonuses
Mr O'Donoghue put it to the witness: “The country's bankrupt because of all the nonsense these bankers have been doing for several years, presumably paying themselves bonuses all the time.”
He contrasted that to developers who he said were left to flounder, saying the legislation was designed to protect the banks.
Mr O'Donoghue put it to Mr Daly that there was a view from “a section of the community” that “developers and builders were being hung out to dry” and “the interests of the banks and the state were being put ahead of the human dimension — the hopelessness that some developers were faced with”.
Mr Daly accepted that some people thought this, but said there was “a general view” that “the ordinary taxpayer had been hung out to dry — to use your phrase — by developers, builders and banks”.
He said that if someone was “living a high lifestyle” and owed Nama a lot of money, it may try to secure some of that money by seizing their assets.
He added: “We were always conscious of the impact that Nama and Nama's actions would have on the whole island — I say this very strongly… we did not distinguish or discriminate against any geographical area.”
Mr O'Donoghue said: “That may be the perception within Nama.”
Mr Daly, who is the first witness, will return to be further cross-examined on Monday. Before sending away the jury, Madam Justice McBride warned them not to speak to anyone about the case or engage in their own research.
The trial is expected to last until Christmas.
Assembly Speaker jets off to Barbados
JOHN MANLEY POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, Irish News, October 10th, 2025
SPEAKER Edwin Poots is on a week-long taxpayer-funded trip to Barbados while the assembly is sitting.
The former DUP minister is accompanied by chief executive Lesley Hogg, who has travelled in her role to five long-haul destinations, at a cost to the public purse of more than £18,000, in the past three years.
The pair are attending the 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, which, according to the assembly, provides an opportunity to “share best practice, discuss common challenges and identify opportunities for cooperation” with their counterparts from across the globe.
But according to one MLA, “there is absolutely no evidence the assembly is operating more effectively” despite similar trips in the past, including to Canada and New Zealand.
It would appear, however, the accusation of “repeated and unjustified spend” which followed a series of previous revelations by The Irish News about costs incurred by assembly staff on overseas travel has prompted reflection at Parliament Buildings.
In response to queries about Mr Poots’ and Ms Hogg’s latest Caribbean jaunt, an assembly spokesperson said the travel arrangements were made “with the public purse in mind, including booking economy class flights”.
According to the spokesperson, the costs of accommodation and flights to Barbados is “estimated at just over £2,000 each”.
People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said there was “no legitimate justification for taxpayer-funded junkets to luxurious locations”.
“The same parties who defend this ostentatious spending have shrugged their shoulders and pleaded poverty when it comes to delivering pay parity for healthcare workers,” he said.
Speaker under fire over trip to Barbados
“If well-paid elected representatives and senior civil servants want to travel to Barbados, they should be made to pay for it themselves.
“Despite repeated trips, there is absolutely no evidence the assembly is operating more effectively as a result,” he said.
In Mr Poots’ absence, his responsibilities as speaker will be fulfilled by deputy speakers Carál Ní Chuilín, John Blair and Steve Aiken.
The spokesperson said the assembly is represented on many international and inter-parliamentary bodies.
“It is important the Northern Ireland Assembly plays its part in developing and strengthening its own parliamentary procedures and culture – and engages like all other parliamentary legislatures in the exchange of knowledge, experience and best practice,” the spokesperson said.
“For this reason, the Assembly Commission agreed that a key objective of its Corporate Strategy 2023-2028 was to develop an inter-parliamentary and international strategy to support the work of the Northern Ireland Assembly.”
Police Ombudsman will not face charge after 'challenging and complex' probe
LIAM TUNNEY, Belfast Telegraph, October 10th, 2025
PUBLIC CONFIDENCE NEEDS REBUILT AFTER LENGTHY PROCESS, CLAIMS DUP MAN
A two-year process to conclude an investigation into an incident involving the Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman has caused “damage to public confidence”, the DUP has said.
The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) confirmed yesterday that Marie Anderson would not face charges over allegations arising from a reported domestic incident in Co Down more than two years ago.
Police were called to a reported domestic incident at a property linked to Marie Anderson in Holywood, Co Down on September 23 2023.
A man was arrested as part of the inquiry and later released pending a report to prosecutors.
A file was subsequently sent to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) and a caution issued to the man who had been arrested.
West Midlands Police were then tasked with investigating further aspects of the incident.
Yesterday, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) confirmed Ms Anderson will not face prosecution after being reported for potential offences of perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office.
Prosecutors concluded there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction.
Speculation
Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Herron said: “This was a complex and sensitive matter which was given careful consideration by a team of senior prosecutors and highly experienced independent Senior Counsel.
“This case has understandably generated significant public interest and speculation — much of which was factually inaccurate.
“The events of September 2023 that led to this investigation were undoubtedly difficult.
“The evidence shows that PSNI engaged with the Ombudsman with care and sensitivity, and their investigation was conducted properly and in good faith.
“The central allegation in this case was that the Ombudsman had misconducted herself in public office and/or attempted to pervert the course of justice through her interactions with police who were investigating the incident referred to above.
“The legal threshold for both offences is high.
“In assessing whether the Test for Prosecution was met, prosecutors considered all of the relevant facts and circumstances including the particular context in which the interactions took place; contemporaneous records made by police in relation to what was said by her; and the evidence from senior police who spoke directly to the Ombudsman during key stages of the relevant events.
“It was concluded that the evidence was insufficient to establish that the Ombudsman was either acting or purporting to act as a public officer at the relevant times; or that she misconducted herself or attempted to pervert the course of justice through anything she said or did in response to police enquiries.”
Rebuilding public confidence
DUP Policing Board member Trevor Clarke said the office faced a significant task in terms of rebuilding its public perception.
“The Ombudsman only belatedly stepped aside, a few months before she intends to retire,” he said.
“During this process there has been continued damage to public confidence in the Ombudsman's office. The task of rebuilding that confidence is significant and remains.
“This has been a very protracted process, but the focus now needs to be on how the Ombudsman's office moves forward.”
A spokesperson for the Ombudsman's Office said: “Mrs Anderson remains absent from work and senior staff continue to have delegated authority to continue the work of the Office in her absence.”
Responding to the PPS decision, Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said: “Where there are reasonable grounds to suspect the commission of criminal offences it is the duty of police to investigate those matters.
“Police will make relevant enquiries, interview those with information, question suspects and, in consultation with the Public Prosecution Service, either charge a person or submit a file to the PPS in relation to the investigation. This procedure was followed in this case.
“This was an extremely complex and challenging investigation and the difficulties that police encountered have been fully acknowledged by the PPS. I want to echo the comments of the PPS on the high standard of the police investigation.”
It comes after Ms Anderson — who is due to retire in December — announced earlier this year that she would be taking a leave of absence from her role, citing “current commentary” over the incident.
SAS justified in opening fire on IRA driver Tony Doris in 1991 Coagh ambush
Alan Erwin, Belfast News Letter, October 9th, 2025
Mr Justice McAlinden has backed the inquest verdict that the actions of Tony Doris had posed an immediate threat to life.
Doris died alongside Peter Ryan and Lawrence McNally during the military operation mounted in the village of Coagh back in June 1991.
The three men, part of an IRA East Tyrone brigade active service unit, were intercepted in a stolen car on suspicion they intended to murder a member of the security forces.
Up to 150 rounds were discharged in the hail of gunfire.
Last year a coroner ruled that the SAS was justified in its “reasonable and proportionate” use of lethal force at Coagh.
He found the soldiers had an honest belief it was necessary in order to prevent loss of life.
A judicial review challenge was mounted against the coroner’s verdict by relatives of Doris, alleging the circumstances breached the Article 2 right to life under European law.
Counsel for the family claimed he had been wrongly “executed” as the unarmed driver who did not pose the same threat as those with weapons.
The SAS member who opened fire, referred to as Soldier B, had acted disproportionately, it was contended.
Legal challenge ‘utterly divorced’ from split second situation confronting SAS
Rejecting all grounds of challenge, however, Mr Justice McAlinden said they were “utterly divorced” from the circumstances and split-second decisions the soldiers faced.
He identified compelling evidence for the conclusions reached that SAS members believed Doris was an integral part of the IRAactive service unit.
“The coroner was perfectly entitled to conclude that Soldier B’s use of force was proportionate in the circumstances,” he confirmed.
According to the judge, it would not have been known by him that the driver was unarmed.
“He shot at Mr Doris because he was a member of a terrorist team who could well be armed and who at the time had driven a vehicle containing two gunmen armed with rifles to a spot very proximate to the intended victim in order to facilitate his murder.” Mr Justice McAlinden stated.
“A Provisional IRA active service unit engaging in such an attack cannot murder someone unless the driver gets the shooters into position and, in engaging in that act of driving, the driver is clearly constituting an immediate threat to life.”
The inquest could only have concluded that Soldier B’s actions were absolutely necessary, the judge held.
Dismissing the legal action, he added: “The coroner conducted a thorough, diligent and detailed examination of the facts and circumstances surrounding the deaths of Mr Doris and the other deceased and he provided detailed findings which in every way complied with the state’s duties under Article 2.” ends
