A MURDER trial jury heard yesterday that the accused man had been questioned about allegations that his 13 year old son had been abusing his younger sister.
But Mr John Torney, an RUC constable, had not replied to any of these questions, or to any others to him during a series of interviews in September 1994.
Mr Torney (40) has denied the murders of his wife Linda (33), his son John and 10 year old daughter Emma. Their bodies were found, each shot once in the head, in bed at their home at Lomond Heights, Cookstown, on September 20th. During earlier interviews Mr Torney claimed the shots had been fired by his son who had gone berserk
Yesterday a detective told the jury that during one of the last interviews with the accused he was asked about the allegations of abuse. The witness said the inspector told Mr Torney that during inquires with class mates of Emma's, it had been suggested by them that Emma had complained she was being abused by her brother John.
"I understand this to mean some kind of sexual abuse. Do you know anything about that, or had you any knowledge of it?" the inspector had asked. Mr Torney had made no reply.
The court also heard that Mr Torney had given no replies when questioned about a series of forensic results. These included firearms residue on track suit bottoms he was wearing, and on boxer shorts he claimed he had been wearing in bed.
There were also slight traces of residue on swabs taken from his face. He also made no reply when asked why there were no traces of residue on his hair if he had been lying in bed beside his wife when she was shot, as he had claimed.
The trial continues today.