NI: "Insufficient evidence" in O'Neill killing
01 May 1999
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute the Metropolitan police officer who shot dead Diarmuid O'Neill. During a 1996 raid by officers from the Metropolitan police's SO19 firearms branch in Hammersmith, west London, the 27-year old was shot six times (see Statewatch vol 7 no 2, vol 8 nos 3 & 4).
The O'Neill family and the Justice for Diarmuid O'Neill campaign have waited two and half years for the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) to complete their inquiry into the shooting and then a further six months while the CPS considered its findings. They responded to the CPS decision with the following statement:
"We are in disbelief that the PCA and the CPS, given the evidence of the tape of the raid in which officer Kilo is instructed by a fellow police officer to "shoot the fucker" [counsel for the police say he said "shut the fuck up"] and the evidence of the post?mortem that clearly shows that Diarmuid was shot when he was seen and known to be unarmed repeatedly, including three times when he was falling as a result of one of the first three bullets piercing his spine. This coupled with the evidence that Diarmuid's head was stood upon when he was lying on the floor bleeding to death, that he was dragged down the stairs of the house to the street and there denied medical treatment for 25 minutes, cannot honestly result in no further action. The campaign also questions the validity of the PCA investigation given that it was carried out by officers of the Metropolitan police, the same force that carried out the shooting."
While welcoming the decision to release the PCA report to the family and their legal representatives (in line with new legislation), the campaign called for it to be made public. They also called for the date of the inquest to be set immediately, and for Home Secretary Jack Straw to set up an independent public enquiry. The campaign is supported by legal practitioners, MPs, MEPs, trade unions, NGOs and voluntary groups.
Contact: BM BOX D. O'Neill, London WC1N 3XX; telephone: 0181 749 2588/0411 784 110; email: justice doneill@btinternet.com.