Police Face Criticism Over River Crash

Police have been criticised for failing to fully investigate a reported fatal car accident.

As a result, a dead man lay in a car submerged underwater for an entire week - despite signs of an accident being reported.

The body of Paul Gordon was recovered from a car in the Moyola River near Draperstown in County Londonderry on Saturday.

The discovery was made a full seven days after a member of the public called police to say that he had seen tracks at a bridge leading to the river.

The PSNI is now investigating the circumstances while local Sinn Fein councillor Patsy Groogan has launched a scathing attack on the handling of the incident.

"The person who called the police waited at the scene for two hours, but nobody showed up while he was there," he said.

"I totally criticise the way the police handled this case and I would ask the Police Ombudsman to hold an investigation into it. I will be making an official complaint on behalf of my constituents who called the police."

Mr Groogan said he believed that last weekend's dire weather conditions may have contributed to the accident.

"There was wild rain last weekend and the river was very high.

"There is a 30 feet drop off the bridge. You wouldn't have been able to see the car from the range wall; you needed to go down to river level," he said, but added: "I would have to challenge that the police had done a proper investigation last Saturday."

Mr Gordon, a stone mason, who was originally from Carrickfergus, had spent time in London, but moved to Draperstown several years ago.

His body was finally recovered from his car in the river on Saturday after local workmen spotted his car in the water.

A PSNI spokeswoman confirmed that police officers had checked the scene at Derrynoid Road, Draperstown on December 8, but found nothing and added: "We are treating the incident as a serious road traffic accident and we will be investigating all the circumstances surrounding it."

(BMcC)