Anti-Catholic sectarianism claims against the PSNI were entirely made up says accuser 'Sean'
Bombshell allegations about anti-Catholic sectarianism within the PSNI were entirely made up, says the man who made them.
The News Letter can reveal that the anonymous complainant, an ex-officer known publicly only as 'Sean', has admitted they are all false.
Since this story was published, the chief constable has issued a statement of his own, which you can read in full at this link.
As well as retracting the allegations, Sean is also seeking the forgiveness of his former colleagues for inflicting "hurt".
He gave no clear explanation as to why he invented the accusations, except to say he is unwell and vulnerable, and did not wish to expand on this publicly.
In a written confession, carried at the link below in full, Sean said: "The Tactical Support Group (TSG) I served in was a diverse group of men and women and I never saw or heard a single one of them speak in a sectarian way or engage in any bullying or unprofessional behaviour.
"I am proud to say that I served in a team that treated colleagues and the public professionally, fairly and with humanity."
Along with retired PSNI head of discipline Jon Burrows the News Letter has been alone in challenging the accusations ever since they were first published on the front page of The Belfast Telegraph on March 8.
That piece described Sean as being from a rural area and having joined the PSNI in 2002. He retired on medical grounds, aged 45, last December.
The wing he served in, the TSG, deals with riot control, among other roles. Specifically, he was part of a unit known as "the Blacks".
In the original double-page Telegraph spread, the examples of alleged sectarianism he gave were:
- Hearing people whistling The Sash around the Twelfth;
- Hearing people swear at politicians "from the green side" when they came on TV;
- Hearing derogatory comments about him wearing ash on Ash Wednesday;
- And "hearing boys saying 'fenian b******s, who do they think they are'?"
Sean said his message to a new PSNI recruit was "think long and hard about it; long and hard – especially if you're a Roman Catholic".
He said he did not pursue complaints about it because he did not want to be "ostracised" and "I'll maybe be with these boys in a riot line in a couple of hours".
"Within my unit of 30 men, I believe there were three Catholics, so you’re outnumbered; to stick your neck out and say ‘this isn’t right’ is very hard to do,” he said.
"The first thing they’d say is that we need names, incident times, dates, and so basically then you’re having to tell on your colleagues.”
In the same article, deputy chief constable Bobby Singleton was quoted as saying that the behaviour outlined by Sean "is disgraceful and has no place whatsoever in the PSNI... [I] accept that there have been instances where the biases and prejudice that exist within our society have manifest in our workplace".
On March 29, some 39 retired officers wrote to The Belfast Telegraph to say: "We are hurt and bewildered at the allegations made by our former colleague and friend, which bear no resemblance to the culture and conduct of our team.
“No sectarian language was tolerated in our team, neither was any bullying nor oppressive behaviour."
It was published on the newspaper's inside pages.
Then on April 3 at the Policing Board, chief constable Jon Boutcher said: "I'm told that there was an investigation into the allegations, and there was no evidence of wrongdoing discovered."
He was "staying neutral" on the allegations, he added.
The News Letter ran a letter from Sean's ex-colleagues, by now numbering 43, on April 19.
They said: "There was no sectarian culture in our team and we also fully supported Sean through personal and professional challenges. Our TSG was renowned across the PSNI for its professionalism, internal cohesion and community sensitivity…
"We note the chief constable said at the Policing Board on April 3 that he is neutral in respect of this allegation. Whilst all complaints must be received and investigated with an open mind to prove or disprove them, adopting a position of neutrality in this case is unfair.
"An allegation has been made anonymously and without a formal complaint and it is therefore not being investigated.
"In contrast to one anonymous report, the chief constable has 43 retired officers, and an entire TSG saying the allegations are categorically untrue and offering to provide sworn testimony."
The letter raised the possibility of legal action by the 43 officers.
When the May 8 meeting of the Policing Board came around, the story shifted up a gear further.
Mr Boutcher revealed he had personally met with Sean and said, "I've no concerns that the Blacks, the officers, his colleagues, acted in a sectarian way towards him" – but also stressed that Sean was a "decent, decent man".
He also added that, come this autumn, the PSNI will conduct an internal survey of staff, asking them to details their experiences of sectarianism, racism, misogyny, etc.
What then followed were another 11 articles in the News Letter, noting variously the confusion that the statements above had generated, the refusal of the PSNI to elaborate further, and the criticism from unionist politicians over how the affair had been handled.
The PSNI has been asked repeatedly over the past fortnight if it could shed any further light on the Sean affair, but it has refused to go beyond what the chief constable told the Policing Board in its May 8 session.
Then yesterday Sean's written confession arrived, revealing the whole affair was based on falsehoods.
Click here for reaction: Jon Burrows on sectarianism allegations falling apart: 'I am glad we kept going – we got to the truth'
The News Letter will be reporting more on this next week.