Family ‘vindicated': Ex-police officers among suspects in NI teen's unsolved murder as report finds ‘systematic failings' in probe

Belfast Telegraph

2 days ago

Relatives of Marian Beattie were speaking after a scathing report found a series of failings in the original murder probe.
The Police Ombudsman has now urged the PSNI to commission an independent review of the investigation.
The 18-year-old's partially-clothed body was found at the bottom of the quarry near Aughnacloy in March 1973, hours after she had left a dance with an unidentified male.
At the time police said it was a "vicious and cruel murder, with sadistic overtones".
No one has ever been charged or convicted of Marian's murder.
However, the family said the Ombudsman report reveals there were 13 suspects – three had paramilitary links and two were former police officers.
Marian's cousin, Collette Toman, said: 'What is contained in the report has vindicated our position all along - there were significant failings in the RUC-PSNI investigation and that has been corroborated by this report today.'
The PSNI said it is committed to helping the Beattie family get answers to their questions.
Ms Toman added: 'This independent review needs to take place, and coming out of that independent review, I think that there is a fair chance of Marian's murderer being brought to justice.
"We believe the killer is still alive. We believe we know who it is.
"If the independent review is taken forward in the right manner, there is every possibility we will see justice for Marian.'
The report found police had failed to ensure all lines of enquiry were progressed, that all suspects were interviewed and that all alibis were checked.
Officers also did not ensure discrepancies between some suspects' accounts and other evidence were examined.
Key evidence – including accounts from people at the dance – has also been lost.
Police Ombudsman chief executive Hugh Hume said Marian's family had not received the service that they deserved from the police.
Ms Toman said the family were alarmed by the extent of police failings outlined in the report.
She added: "There are some shocks that we've had, even today. For example, we were unaware that there were up to 13 suspects in this case.
"We were only ever told about two, and then at an Ombudsman meeting in 2022, that increased to five. But never at any point did we think there was up to 13 suspects.
"Alongside that, there was a point at which they were considering closing the investigation in 2014, and the report now documents that at that stage there were 213 items still to be further investigated."
The Police Ombudsman's investigation came after a referral by the then Chief Constable, George Hamilton, in 2017.
On the night of her murder on March 30 1973, Marian had been at a dance at Hadden's Garage near Aughnacloy, attended by 400-500 people.
She was last seen walking in the direction of Hadden's Quarry with an unidentified male. Her body was found at the bottom of the quarry, beneath a 90 foot drop, the next morning.
A post-mortem examination concluded Marian had died from multiple injuries - some consistent with a fall, but others deemed to have been sustained separately.
Items from the scene, including clothing and forensic samples, were sent for forensic testing, but all are now missing.
These include a shoe which had a palm print, formed in mud, which became a significant focus for police.
Mr Hume said there had been an over-reliance on the palm print.
The report said significant outstanding lines of enquiry in relation to suspects that had not been pursued.
There was no evidence that police conducted any interviews with a number of suspects; checked a number of suspect alibis; or made enquiries about the whereabouts of some suspects on the night.
Discrepancies between the accounts of some suspects and other evidence were not properly examined, investigators found.
The Ombudsman probe was also hampered by the loss of police exhibits and documentation.
This includes documentary evidence, statements, records of interviews with witness and suspects, and officers' journals, and completed questionnaires from 419 people at the dance are also missing.
All physical exhibits recovered during the initial police investigation are also missing.
Mr Hume said: 'If these exhibits had been available, it may have been possible to have conducted further forensic testing using current forensic capabilities, and it is possible that this may have resulted in the identification of the person responsible for Marian's murder."
He added: 'Although our investigation has found significant errors and omissions during the police enquiries into Marian's murder, it is my hope that the independent review we have recommended will ensure that every effort is made to uncover the truth about her murder, and to finally bring her killer, if still alive, to justice.'
Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said: 'We are committed to helping the Beattie family get answers to their questions and ensure the case is properly investigated.
'We will now take time to consider the recommendations of the Police Ombudsman report and we hope the family will engage with the Police Service as part of that process.'