Force’s disregard for woman’s life caught on video

Video footage has emerged showing two members of the PSNI in Derry laying an incapacitated St Patrick’s Day celebrant in a bus lane in Derry.

The incident, which was filmed by a man outside the window of his apartment, shows two PSNI (formerly RUC) members dragging a Catholic woman along the busy road before returning to their unmarked car and driving off.

Sean McCallion, whose video sparked condemnations, said the woman had been involved in a row in the street with a man, believed to be her partner.

She had attempted to get inside a PSNI vehicle after her partner was detained when she collapsed on the street. Two PSNI women then dragged her into the bus lay-by before departing the scene. The woman remained in the path of traffic before being rescued by members of a nearby alcoholism centre.

“I thought it was just mad the way they left her on the bus lane. She could easily have been run over,” Mr McCallion said. “They don’t have any excuse for what they did. The police didn’t care, it didn’t seem that way.

“I can’t see why they didn’t drag her just a few feet onto the footpath.” He said despite a public furore, the police had not contacted him about his recording.

The 23-year-old Catholic woman seen in the footage said she cried when she saw the tape and said she “could’ve been killed”.

“My boyfriend was arrested and I got a bit upset,” said Bridget Mongan. “I could have been killed stone dead. What they did to me is totally unacceptable.”

“From what I remember, the officers didn’t say anything to me before they left. I was drunk, yes, but they could’ve at least left me on the footpath. It’s out of order, it’s as simple as that... I am a human being you know.”

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness said the video was “totally unacceptable”. Derry councillor Elisha McCallion described it as “disturbing”.

“The PSNI have disregarded the safety of this woman by leaving her in a dangerous position on the road in an incapacitated state,” she said.

“The PSNI has a duty of care to protect the public and clearly they have failed miserably in this case as the woman was clearly incapable of caring for herself.”

PSNI Assistant Chief George Hamilton said the video “looks bad” and that it was a “bad day for confidence in policing”.

The video has since been removed from the internet by its owner after it was referred to the Police Ombudsman's office.

Urgent Appeal