A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Second review of North Police Ombudsman
The Police Ombudsman’s office in Northern Ireland is to undergo a second review amid heightening tensions between Al Hutchinson and his chief executive.
Just days after Minister for Justice David Ford ordered an inquiry into allegations of interference by senior civil servants, Mr Hutchinson has called in the Criminal Justice Inspection to review his operational independence from the police.
Chief inspector Dr Michael Maguire said he was seeking to publish his findings by the end of June.
The chairman of the Community Relations Council, Tony McCusker, had already been asked by Mr Ford to conduct a review into claims by chief executive Sam Pollock that the office’s independence had been undermined by interference from senior civil servants.
His report is due to be ready by May 16th.
That inquiry was ordered after a shock decision by Mr Pollock to quit this August, but it is now clear that Mr Hutchinson believes a separate review is needed to examine his office’s operational independence from the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Man (21) dies after being hit by car
A 21-year-old pedestrian who was knocked down in Dublin early yesterday died of his injuries in hospital yesterday afternoon.
The man was hit just before 2am at Parnell Road in Crumlin and was taken to St James’s Hospital. However, he was later pronounced dead.
Gardaí said the car, a Nissan Micra with a 96D registration, was left at the scene but the driver did not remain with it.
In a statement last night, gardaí said an 18-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the incident.
He was taken to Sundrive Road for questioning under section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984.
A Garda spokesman said he believed there was pedestrian traffic in the area at the time and asked that any witnesses contact gardaí.
Garda statistics up to 9am on Thursday morning showed that 61 people died on the roads this year, up five compared to the same period last year.
Minister exiled to return to North
A Protestant churchman forced to leave the North more than 25 years ago because of his friendship with a Catholic priest is to return to Northern Ireland.
The Rev David Armstrong, who ministers at Carrigaline, near Cork city, was forced to leave Limavady, Co Derry, because of his friendship with a local Catholic priest, Fr Kevin Mullan.
Hardline loyalists threatened and verbally abused him for two years when they objected to him exchanging Christmas greetings.
Mr Armstrong (62), then a Presbyterian, left with his family in 1985 to retrain in the Church of England. He served in Oxford and Cambridge and then moved to Cork in 1990.
Today, he confirmed he and his wife June planned to settle this summer in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, where he ministered between 1977 and 1980. They have two married daughters, Julie, who lives in London, and Sarah, who is in south Belfast.
Mr Armstrong said the decision by First Minister Peter Robinson, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, to attend the requiem Mass in Beragh, Co Tyrone, earlier this month for murdered Catholic police officer Ronan Kerr, had been hugely significant.