Published Date: 21.05.2015

A POLICE Ombudsman investigation has rejected claims that a man was sent back to jail on the basis of inaccurate information provided by police.

The man, who was out on licence from prison when he was arrested for theft, and later assault and possession of an offensive weapon, claimed police misled a court and the Probation Office.

He said a police officer told a court bail hearing that the Probation Board were aware of the arrest and in the process of revoking his licence, even though police had not yet told the Board that he had been arrested.

However, a Police Ombudsman investigator found that although police had not written to the Board until several days after the hearing, they had contacted them by phone.

A Probation Board manager confirmed that he received a call and had advised that the Board would seek to revoke the man’s licence if he was charged.

The man was charged later that evening and appeared in court the following day.

The investigation also allayed the complainant’s concerns that police had misled the Probation Board by stating that they had CCTV evidence of the incident.

A Police Ombudsman investigator found that police had not said that they had CCTV footage, but merely advised that the incident had first been noticed on CCTV.

The investigation also concluded that police had properly investigated the complainant’s counter allegation that he had been assaulted by a person he was charged with attacking.

Police records showed that officers had interviewed a number of witnesses and provided a file to the Public Prosecution Service, but the PPS directed that no prosecutions should result from the allegation.