Innocent nurse becomes prop for PSNI smear

A civil action is to be taken against the PSNI for a shocking experience endured by a woman in Derry in what may have been an attempt to generate a lurid anti-republican headline.

The woman was working as a nurse in a dental surgery in the city when she was subjected to a heavy-handed raid described as a “deplorable abuse of powers”.

Ciaran Shiels, the woman’s lawyer, said the operation in the city centre was carried out by a PSNI unit under the name ‘Paramilitary Crime Task Force’.

He described how the operation began at 10.30am in the morning outside the woman’s workplace. Two armoured PSNI Land Rovers and two other vehicles along with a dog and a dog handler descended on the surgery.

“In front of bemused patients and colleagues, our client was singled out by officers. She was dressed in her dental scrubs and was assisting a dentist with a patient in treatment,” he said.

“Her nearby car was searched and she was then arrested in tears (not under Terrorist Legislation) under the ordinary provisions of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and brought to Strand Road.”

She had never before been in a police station “much less been arrested or interviewed under caution”, the lawyer said.

In a statement to the media on Tuesday, the PSNI falsely attempted to portray the arrest as being linked to the INLA (Irish National Liberation Army) and to drugs crime.

Mr Shiels said the woman’s family home where she lives with her elderly father and brother was searched by the same unit.

“A number of mobile phones and two USB devices belonging to herself and family members were seized. Nothing at all of an incriminatory nature was found by police, either on her person, her vehicle, her home or her workplace,” the lawyer said.

“This operation yielded no drugs, no paraphernalia, no tick-lists, no cash, no wrappings, no scales and certainly nothing indicating support for the INLA.”

The woman was questioned under police caution for just five minutes. Mr Shiels said she answered “every single question” and “complete assistance was offered and provided by her to police”.

“Not a single shred of incriminatory evidence was referred to. Not a single allegation of any kind was put to her”.

At no stage was the INLA or any other group even mentioned before the PSNI statement put out their deceptive press statement.

“Even at the point of her release, police did not give her the basic warning or courtesy of informing her that this statement had been released to the public concerning her ordeal,” he said.

His firm strongly suspects that the arrest and media publicity operation was ordered following the release on bail of a significantly older half-brother of the woman.

Mr Shiels said the statement issued by the PSNI after his client’s release and linking her to the INLA and drugs was libellous, attacking “her character in the most obscene, obsequious and unfair manner”.

“The true position...was that our client already was released from police custody at 2.09pm and was being driven home from Strand Road Police station to recover from her ordeal and to be with her family,” he said.

The incident has been strongly criticised by both the SDLP, who have raised it directly with the PSNI and by Fianna Fáil, who have raised it in the Dáil.

Urgent Appeal