DUP criticises Police Board

DUP justice spokesman Ian Paisley Jr says the Police Board has already made up its mind to reject his call for an independent inquiry into a special branch chief's claim that he was forced out to appease republicans.

Mr Paisley says the board has decided instead to ask the police ombudsman to carry out the inquiry.

Chief superintendent Bill Lowry led the operation against a suspected IRA spy-ring at Stormont in October.

But he was accused of leaking information to the press and was threatened with disciplinary action.

Instead, on agreed terms, he retired with full pension rights but now claims he was forced to stand down on orders from the secret service agency MI5 as a sop to Sinn Fein because he was exposing the spy ring.

Ian Paisley Jr is accusing his police board colleagues of washing their hands of his complaint by calling in the police ombudsman.

He says he doesn't want a cover up or an inquiry that turns into an investigation of the special branch itself.