Maginnis doubtful of collusion claim

Former Ulster Unionist MP Lord Maginnis has said he does not believe an official document alleging that a Catholic RUC member was involved in the murder of two senior officers.

The allegation that the RUC officer colluded in the deaths of superintendent Harry Breen and Supt Bob Buchanan was raised at the Smithwick Tribunal today.

The tribunal is investigating possible garda collusion into the deaths of the Supts Breen and Buchanan who were shot dead by the IRA in south Armagh after leaving Dundalk Garda Station on March 20th, 1989.

The information was contained in a letter written in 2002 by Northern Ireland Office principal private secretary Peter Waterworth. The letter alleged that a likely source of collusion in the Buchanan and Breen case was a "senior Catholic RUC officer".

Mr Waterworth said the allegation came from the now independent MP Sylvia Hermon the then wife of the late Sir John Hermon who was Chief Constable of the RUC at the time of the murders.

In affidavits presented to the tribunal, Lady Sylvia described the allegation as "grossly inaccurate and wholly untrue".

It is alleged that Lady Sylvia gave the information to Mr Waterworth having also divulged to the then party leader David Trimble and David Campbell, the former chairman of the Ulster Unionists. Both Mr Trimble and Mr Campbell deny that such a conversation took place.

The letter states that Lady Sylvia tried to prevent Mr Trimble mentioning it at an Ulster Unionist meeting in front of Jeffrey Donaldson and David Burnside because she feared the consequences for the PSNI if the story was to emerge.

Giving evidence today, Lord Maginnis said he did not believe Mr Waterworth's account.

"I'm not even attempting to get inside Mr Waterworth's head," he said. "All I can say is that I believe what I heard from David Campbell and David Trimble. I also, from my own experience, have not encountered any such allegations.

"Somewhere in that document there has been a misjudgement, a miscalculation, a loss of memory, an inaccurate recall. I'm not here to judge that. I'm here to tell you the situation is at is."

Lord Maginnis added: "This official document contained an inaccuracy".