RUC halted inquiry to protect priest

A POLICE investigation into a Catholic priest suspected of being involved in the 1972 Claudy bombing was stopped after senior officers conspired with the government and Church to protect him, a shock report has revealed.

Fr James Chesney was transferred, outside the jurisdiction, to a parish in Co Donegal, following secret talks between the then secretary of state William Whitelaw and the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal William Conway.

The two men discussed the scandal after being approached by a senior Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer as the police were apparently reluctant to arrest the cleric for fear of inflaming the security situation.