Alliance MLA found to have breached Policing Board rules over 'disgraceful' comments on John Caldwell, UUP MLA claims

Jon Burrows has accused the North Belfast MLA of acting “outside of any due process” – and slammed the Policing Board for not making any public statement or informing board members on the matter.

Mr Burrows said that the decorated former police officer was informed in October 2024 that Ms McAllister's actions were a breach of the Policing Board's code of conduct.

However, Ms McAllister has declined to comment on the claim. She told the News Letter she does not wish to compromise “ongoing legal matters” – adding that the UUP “would do well to adopt the same attitude”.

The former PSNI detective chief inspector said last year that he was suing the BBC and Ms McAllister over comments made during a documentary about the police investigation into the death of the 21-year-old showjumper; however it is unclear whether that case is still being pursued.

A legal representative for the Alliance politician said at the time that her comments were “intensely” researched and that she would be “strenuously” defending any proceedings issued.

Mr Caldwell suffered life-changing injuries in a dissident republican murder bid in 2023, and was later awarded the King's Police Medal for his distinguished service.

Mr Burrows said her comments in the BBC documentary were reckless and accused her of singling out Mr Caldwell in a way which was “inappropriate and unjustifiable”.

The UUP MLA has also criticised the fact that the Policing Board has “made no public statement, issued no apology, and provided no clarity regarding any sanction imposed” – saying this “undermines the credibility of the board”.

Mr Burrows said that “while some officers did face misconduct proceedings in relation to the case, John Caldwell categorically was not one of them. In fact, the ombudsman had ruled he had no case to answer”.

He has also said that members of the Policing Board “cannot credibly scrutinise the conduct of the PSNI while avoiding scrutiny of their own behaviour” and has called on Ms McAllister “to publicly and personally apologise to John Caldwell”.

“The decision to single him out, while other officers under investigation remained unnamed, was both inappropriate and unjustifiable for a member of the Policing Board.

“Given Mr Caldwell’s ongoing recovery from a terrorist gun attack in the line of duty, such conduct was not only careless but disgraceful.

“The public and the policing community rightly expect members of the Policing Board, who hold oversight responsibility for policing standards, to demonstrate clear integrity and respect for due process”, the UUP MLA said.

The News Letter asked the Alliance Party if Ms McAllister disputes Mr Burrows's assertions; why she didn’t inform Policing Board colleagues about the alleged breach of the code of conduct; and whether she will retract the allegations she made on the BBC programme and apologise to Mr Caldwell.

Ms McAllister said: “I am aware of ongoing legal matters which I do not wish to compromise under any circumstances. The UUP would do well to adopt the same attitude.”

This newspaper has also asked the Policing Board whether any sanction was imposed on Ms McAllister and whether it was subsequently overturned; why it did not inform members about the alleged breach nor publicise it; and whether it believes Ms McAllister should apologise to Mr Caldwell. We are currently awaiting a response.

The BBC ‘Spotlight’ programme at the heart of the row focused on the PSNI’s handling of the investigation into the death of Katie Simpson, which had initially been treated as a suicide. It examined whether some officers were initially reluctant to investigate the showjumper’s death as a potential crime.

Ms Simpson, from Tynan, Co Armagh, died in hospital almost a week after an incident in Lettershandoney in August 2020. Despite her death initially having been treated as a suicide, Jonathan Creswell, the partner of Ms Simpson’s sister, was arrested on suspicion of murder the following year. His murder trial ended in April 2024 after his sudden death.

During the documentary, Ms McAllister made comments about Mr Caldwell as head of a team within the PSNI. However, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher told the Policing Board that the PSNI made mistakes in the initial stages of their inquiry – but robustly defended Mr Caldwell and said he was not facing any misconduct proceedings.

At the time of Mr Caldwell’s announcement on legal action, the BBC said the ‘Spotlight’ investigation “raised issues of significant public interest and was made in accordance with the BBC’s editorial guidelines”.