The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has announced a decision not to prosecute the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland following an investigation into potential offences of perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office.

The Ombudsman was reported for alleged actions arising from a domestic incident in Holywood, Co Down, in September 2023. The investigation was led by West Midlands Police, with a file submitted to the PPS for consideration.

After a careful review by a team of senior prosecutors and experienced independent Senior Counsel, the PPS concluded that there was no reasonable prospect of conviction for any criminal offence.

Stephen Herron, Director of Public Prosecutions, acknowledged the complexity and sensitivity of the matter, noting that it had generated "significant public interest and speculation—much of which was factually inaccurate."

The central allegation was that the Ombudsman had attempted to misconduct herself in public office and/or attempted to pervert the course of justice through her interactions with police.

The PPS highlighted that the legal threshold for both offences is high. Prosecutors considered all evidence, including:

• The particular context of the interactions.

• Contemporaneous police records of her statements.

• Evidence from senior police who spoke directly to her. It was concluded that the evidence was insufficient to establish two key legal requirements:

1. That the Ombudsman was either acting or purporting to act as a public officer at the relevant times.

2. That she misconducted herself or attempted to pervert the course of justice through her words or actions in response to police enquiries.

Mr Herron stressed that the evidence showed the PSNI engaged with the Ombudsman "with care and sensitivity, and their investigation was conducted properly and in good faith".

Commenting on the decision, Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton confirmed that the PPS had directed 'no prosecution' as the investigation did not pass their evidential test.

Deputy Chief Constable Singleton emphasised the duty of police to investigate such matters when there are reasonable grounds for suspicion. He stated: "This was an extremely complex and challenging investigation and the difficulties that police encountered have been fully acknowledged by the Public Prosecution Service."

He went on to thank the independent investigation team from West Midlands and Greater Manchester Police for their "professional and thorough investigation," and reiterated the PSNI's commitment to the rule of law.

"Prosecutorial decisions are made independently by the Public Prosecution Service and it would be inappropriate to comment further other than to reiterate the Police Service's commitment to treat everyone equally before the law," he added.