The TUV aims to raise the issue of false sectarian claims against the police in the Assembly, saying the saga “directly impacts public confidence in the PSNI” and accusing the police leadership of “mishandling” the affair.

It has tabled two attempts to bring the issue to the floor tomorrow – one in the form of a question to the justice minister Naomi Long, the other in the form of a call for a general debate.

It will likely not be known until later this morning whether either attempt has succeeded.

It is also understood the DUP plans to raise the issue this week too.

placeholder image — Members of the PSNI's Tactical Support Group (TSG) pictured amid disorder in Belfast, August 2024; the unit has now been vindicated after claims of sectarian behaviour within it were revealed to be false

The News Letter has been following the case of the accusations since they were made 11 weeks ago.

They stem from a former Tactical Support Group officer called Sean (not his real name) who alleged he had heard other officers talking about "fenian b******s", heard personnel swearing at "green" politicians when they came on TV, heard them mocking him for wearing ash on Ash Wednesday, and heard them whistling The Sash around the Twelfth.

He has since come out publicly and admitted to making the whole thing up.

His written retraction of his claims was the front page story of the News Letter's weekend edition.

Anti-Catholic sectarianism claims against the PSNI were entirely made up says ac...

In his confession, Sean also asked for forgiveness from his former colleagues for inventing the accusations (though he gave no clear explanation as to why he had done so, other than saying he was unwell and vulnerable).

The TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has submitted the following to be raised at Stormont tomorrow: "To ask the Minister of Justice, in light of the public retraction by the former PSNI officer known as 'Sean' of his allegations of sectarianism within the Tactical Support Group, what steps will the minister take to restore public confidence in the impartiality and integrity of policing in Northern Ireland?"

He said the police's handling of the whole affair "raises immediate concerns about the judgement, impartiality, and decision-making processes of senior leadership within the PSNI," adding: "Given the serious reputational damage caused, and the potential erosion of public trust in policing oversight, it is urgent that the Minister of Justice addresses these matters without delay…

"This development has direct implications for the operational accountability of the PSNI and for the role of the Department of Justice in ensuring public confidence in the impartial administration of policing.

"The minister must now be given the opportunity to respond to these concerns in the Assembly and outline what steps will be taken to restore trust and address the mishandling of this issue by PSNI leadership."

He has also asked for the issue to be debated as a "matter of the day", adding: "This issue directly impacts public confidence in the PSNI, an institution central to law, order, and community relations.

"The initial allegations risked deepening community tensions and undermining faith in policing.

"Their retraction affects not only those falsely implicated but also the broader public, whose trust in justice and truth has been placed at stake."

In his confession, Sean had said: “The allegations I made are all untrue. I am unequivocal about that.

"Nobody subjected me to sectarian abuse for wearing ash on my forehead. Not once did I hear Catholic colleagues being referred to as ‘fenian b******s’. I never heard colleagues whistling The Sash in corridors. I never heard or saw colleagues referring to nationalist politicians on TV as ‘fenians’.

"I am deeply sorry that I claimed I had experienced sectarian abuse or witnessed sectarianism in the PSNI. I am also sorry that I alleged to the Chief Constable that I had ever experienced nuanced sectarianism in the PSNI.

"The 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.”

The former PSNI head of discipline Jon Burrows, who has been acting as a spokesman for many of Sean’s maligned former officers, has said: “We extend grace to Sean. Get well brother.”

– PSNI REFUSAL TO ELABORATE –

The PSNI is continuing its refusal to comment on the ‘Sean’ case to the News Letter.

When Timothy Gaston’s comments above were put to the PSNI, it said “we have nothing to add to the Chief Constable’s statement issued on Saturday”.

This echoed its stance earlier in the month, long before Sean’s retraction at the weekend, when the force was asked repeatedly to comment on the story.

Its response had been that it had nothing further to say beyond what the chief constable had told the Policing Board on May 8.

Though Sean’s allegations of sectarianism originated in a Belfast Telegraph article on March 8, the story began to gather pace earlier this month after the chief constable Jon Boutcher addressed the issue at the Policing Board.

He told members that whilst he was “absolutely satisfied” that Sean did not in fact suffer any sectarianism, he stressed that Sean was a “thoroughly decent” man.

This led to confusion about how both things could be true at once, though the chief constable refused to elaborate on the issue further.

He told the Policing Board “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”, and likewise rebuffed the News Letter’s efforts to elicit more comment in the weeks that followed.

On Saturday, after the News Letter broke the story of Sean recanting his accusations, the chief constable issued a statement saying: “I was aware that Sean may provide a retraction but have deliberately waited for him to take this step before commenting. I have said publicly and very clearly to the Policing Board and reiterate again now, there was no sectarianism in this case.”

Among the questions posed to him by the News Letter at the weekend were why Mr Boutcher had said he was “neutral” on the claims of Sean back in April, when dozens of former officers had come forwards to dispute them;

Why he described Sean as “thoroughly decent” when it was becoming clear his accusations were untrue;

Whether the false claims influenced his decision to launch an internal staff survey into sectarianism / racism / sexism / homophobia this autumn – and whether this will still be going ahead.