Question
- At the Performance Committee on 11 March 2021, Members discussed the ongoing investigation in relation to abuse allegations at Muckamore Abbey Hospital. Could the Chief Constable provide further information on:
- The expected timeframe to conclude this investigation;
- Any update on the Public Prosecution Service’s decisions in relation to this case; and
- Any potential to provide additional resources to the investigation team in order to speed up the process.
Answer
1. It is estimated that this will take a further 2 years with current resourcing levels to conclude the investigation. Police Service Northern Ireland have an established interview strategy in place which is cognisant of both the needs of the victims and their families and the criminal justice process.
It should be emphasised this does not create any ongoing safeguarding concerns in respect of the patients or staff within the scope of this CCTV-led investigation, relating to incidents between March 2017 and September 2017. All CCTV footage has been viewed from a safeguarding perspective either by the Police or by the Trust, and all persons identified from the CCTV who are involved in any form of suspected offending have been made subject of rigorous safeguarding review process and are subject to a range of ongoing sanctions, from additional management supervision through to full suspension from duty where applicable. This addresses the risk to those patients currently in Muckamore today. The investigation team are now working through the remaining CCTV that was viewed by the Trust to capture any incidents from an evidential perspective.
- Currently two files have been submitted to the Public Protection Service (PPS), the first with seven suspects being sent during April 2020 and a second file containing eight suspects being sent in December 2020. Covid restrictions did pause the interviewing of suspects for a period however, it is our plan to begin interviewing again next month and a timetable for the next eight suspects has been agreed. It is hoped that we will continue to interview in batches of eight with submission of a file to PPS the following month.
Police continue to work closely with the PPS in relation to this investigation, and the latest position, received as of 22/03/21, from the PPS is as follows - “consideration of the decisions in the first file are at an advanced stage and PPS expect to provide a significant update on progress to the families by the end of March.”
Whilst it is for the PPS and NICTS to confirm, Police Service Northern Ireland would be hopeful this first tranche of seven suspects would stand trial later in 2021. It is envisaged subsequent trials will follow in a phased format for each tranche of suspects
3. Police Service Northern Ireland aim to strike the balance within Public Protection of investigation of offences that have happened in the past, and those that are happening today. The key point within the investigation is that CCTV viewing from a safeguarding perspective has taken place and all staff accused of criminal offending have had action taken against them. This has allowed the criminal investigation to be as methodical and rigorous as the scale and scope of this investigation requires and allows the investigation to be resourced in order to strike the above balance.
Performance Committee