Probe over brutal rape information claims

Police will initiate an internal affairs investigation if it is established that officers failed to act on information which could have led to the capture of two men behind a brutal rape in Belfast, a senior policeman said today.

Chief Superintendent Ken Henning confirmed he had ordered an inspector to probe claims on a radio show in Northern Ireland by two people that they contacted police after the rape with detailed information but did not receive any follow up calls.

The victim, who is from the North of England, and is aged 15, was raped twice in front of friends in the Blacks Road area of West Belfast by two attackers, one of whom was armed with a screwdriver.

“When we get to the bottom of this whole thing, if we find that somebody has made a genuine mistake, then we are not about crucifying people for making genuine mistakes,” the chief inspector said.

“Mistakes happen and as I’ve said that is the human element.

“If we find that somebody mislaid this information and did with it and was neglectful in doing that, then, yes, it is very possible that I may ask our own internal investigation branch to come in and take it over from there.”

The rape shocked people in West Belfast and across Northern Ireland, especially as the attackers used their victim’s mobile phone to ring the girl’s mother and text her after the attack.

Photofits have been issued of two people believed to have been involved.

However, in a surprising twist, one caller to BBC Radio Ulster’s Stephen Nolan Show today claimed he had contacted the Police Service of Northern Ireland after believing he had seen the attackers and could identify them.

However, he claimed officers had not followed up his phone call.

Another caller, a taxi driver, said he was also given a detailed description of one of the attackers by a passenger which matched a photofit and had other details which could help the investigation.

Again, he alleged, there was no follow up from police to his initial phone call.

Chief Inspector Henning said he did not believe the investigation had been damaged by the claims.

He confirmed: “I have appointed an inspector to carry out a full investigation into what happened in relation to where did the calls go, who took the calls, who got the calls and were they passed on to the detectives who are dealing with this case.

“Since Saturday we have had a tremendous response from the public and even last night after we released the photofits we had a tremendous response from the public.

“Out of the large volume of calls we have, we haven’t responded to two calls. That’s worrying and it is two too many.

“I fully accept that and I apologise to those individuals for not doing that.”

The rapist is believed to be about 5ft 8ins, with a scar above his right eyebrow and chipped or decaying teeth.

He carried out a harrowing sexual assault on the girl after dragging her into a petrol station forecourt.

Three boys she was with were beaten, threatened and forced to watch the rape by another man who is believed to have had his left ear pierced and wore at least one sovereign-type ring.

The boys were ordered to go to the nearby Colin Valley Golf Centre where the girl was raped again.

However one of them managed to break free and alert the police.

Chief Inspector Henning said today he had spoken to the two callers in the radio show.

At this stage, he said police had no reason to doubt the claims made on the phone-in programme.

However he appealed for people to focus primarily on catching those responsible for the rape.

“I have to admit and I have to fully accept that an incident like this does discourage the public and may discourage the public,” he said.

“What I would say is if there is anyone out there and you have phoned the police, whether it is for this investigation or another investigation, if you don’t get a response from the police after one call, don’t leave it at that.

“Please lift the phone and call us again. This is too important.

“We are dealing with the human element. There have been a lot of calls, a lot of good work has been done but on occasion officers get tied up and called to different things and, yes, it is possible that things like this can happen.

“But what I would ask the public not to do is to judge us on the basis that we have not responded to two calls.

“This is too important for that.”