PSNI officer charged with perverting justice over Sean Graham massacre memorial incident
A PSNI officer is to be prosecuted for conspiring to pervert the course of justice in relation to an incident at a Troubles commemoration during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Public Prosecution Service has confirmed.
The prosecution is linked to events that unfolded on the Ormeau Road in Belfast in February 2021 during a service marking the anniversary of the Sean Graham bookmakers attack in which five people were murdered and nine others injured by the UFF.
Two officers faced internal disciplinary action after a survivor of the 1992 loyalist shooting was arrested at the memorial.
It came after police had challenged people attending amid suspicions that the size of the public gathering breached coronavirus regulations.
Last year, a High Court judge found that the disciplinary actions taken against the two junior police officers were unlawful, and were motivated by a desire by commanders to allay any threat of Sinn Fein abandoning its support for policing in Northern Ireland.
The ruling was one of the main contributory factors that led to the resignation of former PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne last September.
The prosecution decision announced by the PPS on Wednesday is not directly linked to the events on the day of the incident in 2021.
The decision to prosecute the individual comes after an investigation by the PSNI’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU).
The ACU investigation was related to an incident on the Ormeau Road on 5 February, 2021 concerning an allegation that an officer was involved in a false threat report intended to support an application for an anonymity order related to the original incident.
The individual facing the charge has been informed.
The PPS confirmed that court papers are being finalised and a date for the defendant’s first appearance is yet to be set.
It stated that it did not wish to say anything that might prejudice proceedings and will not be making any further comment on this case.
The PPS has also issued a decision in relation to a separate police investigation reporting one civilian for an assault on police during the incident on the Ormeau Road on February 5, 2021.
It was determined that there is insufficient evidence to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction and the test for prosecution was not met.
The PPS said "decision-making on both files was undertaken independently, impartially and in line with the Code for Prosecutors".
In a statement, the PSNI said: "Prosecutorial decisions are a matter for the Public Prosecution Service. As this is subject to ongoing legal proceedings we will not be commenting further at this time."The duty status of the officer will now be reviewed in light of the PPS decision."
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