False accuser 'Sean' apologises to Police Federation and repays money he owes

The retired police officer, known publicly as 'Sean', had claimed that his treatment by the body (which is akin to a trade union for rank-and-file police) had left him feeling "sick".

Sean has now also repaid thousands of pounds which he owed the federation, the News Letter can reveal.

It is the latest instalment of the 'Sean' saga, which began on March 8 when the Belfast Telegraph ran an interview with him in which he claimed to have witnessed anti-Catholic sectarianism in the Tactical Support Group (TSG).

This was hotly denied by his former colleagues, and the narrative fell apart last weekend when Sean admitted in the News Letter that his claims were all made up.

He apologised and asked forgiveness from his former comrades, saying he was unwell and vulnerable. He also apologised for misleading the Belfast Telegraph.

As well as carrying Sean's claims of sectarianism against police officers, the original interview in the Belfast Telegraph had carried quotes from Sean saying that the Police Federation had treated him "like dirt".

The paper reported that the federation "demanded huge sums for medical bills as part of the retirement process".

Sean was further quoted as saying he was "being pursued for thousands of pounds which I don't have... it just makes me sick".

That original Belfast Telegraph article then quoted a federation spokesman as saying the body was "disappointed that [Sean] feels this way... the fact is he accepted the terms in writing which clearly stated that in the event of a successful ill-health retirement, he would be required to reimburse the PFNI or PFNI solicitors the cost of all medical reports obtained".

Now the News Letter has learned Sean has both paid back the money he owed to the federation for medical assessments, and has written to it stating: "I would like to extend my sincere apologies to the Police Federation for any commentary in the press that might have caused concern."

Sean offered his "heartfelt thanks" to the leadership of the federation for "their invaluable support and guidance throughout my career – their help has meant a great deal to me".

He concluded: "Now my focus turns to getting better and spending time with my young family, who mean the world to me."

Jon Burrows, the former head of PSNI discipline who has been representing Sean's aggrieved former colleagues, said: "It's positive that, step by step, Sean is now doing the right thing.

"And I think it's important that it's stated on the public record that the federation did not in any way treat Sean unfairly at any point through this process."

The federation told the News Letter: "We can confirm that ‘Sean’ has made contact with us and fully settled his bill. He has also apologised and thanked the Federation for their support and advice during his ill health retirement process.

"We hope ‘Sean’ can now begin to put this sorry episode behind him and we wish him and his family well for the future."

Since Sean confessed to making up his allegations against his former teammates in the TSG, focus has fallen on the Policing Board.

Though it had held two public meetings since Sean's allegations aired in March, only one MLA on the board - UUP man Alan Chambers - had asked about them.

The chief constable Jon Boutcher said he was satisfied Sean did not in fact suffer sectarianism but that he was a "thoroughly decent" man, then declined to go into more detail, saying: "I'm not going to discuss it any further than I already have in public. And I'm going to draw a line under it."

TUV MP Jim Allister criticised the board for a "disturbing lack of curiosity" and "dereliction of duty".